With India becoming a major destination of international tourists for cost-effective medical treatment, the Central Government will set up a separate ‘Department of Medical Tourism’ to streamline the inflow of such tourists looking for wellness impact as also for better solutions for a range of serious ailments.
“We will be creating the department very soon, may be in the next few weeks,” Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma told The Pioneer. India, at present, attracts 13 lakh medical tourists annually and aims for 24 lakh by 2020. The total foreign tourist inflow in India in 2014 stood at 75 lakhs.
Sharma said medical services are ‘quite cheap’ and easily available in India compared to the developed world. A special medical treatment which may cost anywhere between Rs15 lakh and Rs20 lakh in countries like UK and USA would cost as less as Rs1.5 lakh to Rs2.00 lakh, the Minister said. He pointed out to ‘the huge medial tourism’ potential in India that remains to be untapped in a wide number of medical categories.
The Cabinet approval for carving out a separate department of medical tourism may not be required, Sharma said adding the department would coordinate with all the hospitals , doctors and lay down proper guidelines for providing accredited medical institutions to be involved in the process of streamlining medical tourism in the country.
The Minister said Indian offices abroad would be asked to promote medical tourism there and provide information on the facilities for traveling available in the country (including medical visa) so that they could reach directly to the destination (cities, hospitals and doctors) of their choices.
Destinations known for Yoga and wellness centres would be broughtointo the map of medical tourism to cater to those wanting a holistic experience of “ancient Indian practices” . Places like Rishikesh and Hardwar, known for authentic Yoga centres, are a big draw among the foreign tourists.
Medical tourism department would be coordinating with other central departments, particularly with AYUSH (The Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) to popularize and offer choices in the ancient medical streams
Tourism Ministry maintains that the credibility and repute of Indian doctors working abroad has been a plus factor contributing to the promotion of medical tourism in the country.
India is increasingly being preferred by medical tourists from Australia, Western Europe, UK, Canada, USA and the Middle East. In fact, more and more people from many other countries are looking towards India as a destination where they can combine vacationing and obtain their medical care at an affordable cost.
Spectrum of treatments that are being offered in most major hospitals are urology, dentistry, ophthalmology, obesity surgery, cosmetic and plastic surgery, gynecology, orthopedics and cardiac surgery.
last year, the Modi Government, in a move to give a huge boost to medical tourism in India had announced providing immediate medical visa for patients from SAARC countries. A substantial number of patients are from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri lanka, Maldives and Pakistan come to India for treatment. These are countries that lack tertiary care and hence patients come looking for medical expertise and world class healthcare.