India Emerging as International Medical Tourism Hub

India continues to make rapid strides in medical tourism. Analysts view medical tourism as a most promising segment, but many areas of concern need to be addressed.

With its low cost advantage and emergence of several private players, it represents the fastest growing market, predicts "Asian Medical Tourism Analysis (2008-2012)," prepared by Research and Markets, an Irish firm.

Actually there is nothing strikingly new about the finding, experts say. India was touted as the global destination for health by the federal government back in 2003 itself.

Since then growing liberalization and entry of more and more private players, has meant that despite setbacks elsewhere in recent years, future seems sound for the health tourism sector.
The West is suffering by its own success. Public health expenditure is going through the roof. As the population ages and demands on healthcare increases, governments find it difficult to sustain the level of healthcare provided to citizens all along.

Besides, most developed countries are plagued by an acute shortage of medical personnel, of every category. To make matters worse, western economies are either turning stagnant or are declining. Consequently long waiting times are becoming an inevitable feature of the health scene, in Europe, particularly.

It is such challenges faced by the West that come as a boon for countries like India. According to the Research and Markets referred to earlier, India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines could make the most of the difficult health scenario in the developed world.

The medical tourism market in India was estimated at $333 million in 2004. It is projected to reach $2.2 billion by 2012-14.

However, perceptions abroad over hygiene consciousness as also infrastructural constraints could spoil the party, it is feared.

The bulk of patients coming to India are from the SAARC region, from the Middle East, and Africa, though there is potential for exports to the West.

Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is certainly in the forefront of health tourism.

Understandably so, for it was the Chennai-based Apollo Group that played a pioneering role in wooing foreign patients on the one hand and upgrading its own facilities on the other.

The time is not far off when we will be the Asian hub says Shamik Banerjee, Head of Corporate Communication, Apollo Group. The bustling metro boasts of a host of multi-specialty hospitals, he points out.

The group itself receives about 25,000 international patients every year, of which more than 3,000 come as medical tourists. Patients come from countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mauritius and Gulf countries.

The hospital has also tied up with over 10 international insurance companies and has its own health insurance company – Apollo DKV and has third party administrators (TPAs) abroad. In Japan, it has tied up with SOS International and Japan's Emergency Assistance to airlift sick patients and bring them to India for treatment. In Oman and Mauritius, Apollo has tie-ups with the Health Ministries.

Dr S Nirmala, who runs a maternity centre, says, Apollo Hospitals, MIOT Hospitals, Madras Medical Mission, Sankara Nethralaya, Sri Ramachandra University Hospital and Vijaya Hospital were the first to encourage this trend. Soon, other hospitals followed suit by tying up with travel agencies and organizing a network of home-stays.

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Medical Tourism Business Projected to Grow Eightfold by 2010

The number of people in the U.S. who plan to travel abroad for medical care, where the costs for various medical and surgical procedures often are comparatively lower, is projected to increase by eight times by 2010, according to a recent study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.For the study, researchers spent about 1,900 hours analyzing the mechanics of medical tourism. The researchers estimated that the number of people who travel internationally for medical procedures will increase from 750,000 to six million over the next two years. The study also found that U.S. patients contribute an estimated $2.1 billion in business to the medical tourism industry.

The Joint Commission International, which accredits health systems and hospitals abroad, has certified more than 250 hospitals in 30 countries, according to David Jaimovich, JCI's chief medical officer. He said that he expects to see twice the number of JCI-approved hospitals by 2012.

Concerns
The study highlighted some of the common concerns with seeking health care abroad, such as post-operation care and who would bear the responsibility if a problem arises, according to the Post-Gazette. In such cases, the laws and regulations of the country where the procedure took place often would be enforced, the Post-Gazette reports.

Paul Keckley, executive director of the center, said, "What a lot of folks would say is that the quality of care is highly variable." However, Keckley said that it did not mean that the medical facilities abroad could not conduct simple and uncomplicated procedures. He said he still was concerned about the benefits of traveling overseas and returning on a long flight back to the U.S. just a few days after a procedure, with the risk of developing an infection, deep vein thrombosis or other problems.

Jaimovich said the hospitals have met standards that "are very comparable to the U.S. domestic standards," adding, "There are many hospitals around the world that would put some of our (U.S.) hospitals to shame." Jaimovich added, "The borders of health care have blurred," adding, "It is a very different world today than it was five years ago" (Twedt, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/23).

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