There are number of buzz words in today’s tourism industry such as rural tourism, village tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism and above all medical tourism. Contrary to popular belief, the concept of medical tourism is no new term. It has, in fact, been in vogue from historic times.
People from countries like Europe, Middle East, Greek and Egypt have been travelling to hot springs, baths and remote retreats during 18th and 19th century to cure ailments. The concept is gaining popularity with recent times. Medical tourism is a term where people from all around the world are traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental, and surgical care, while at the same time, they can enjoy a vacation and enjoy the tourist attractions of the countries. It has become a common form of vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical services.
Previously medical tourism was dominated by cosmetic and dental procedures. But nowadays everything from knee replacements to major heart surgery can be obtained in developing countries where internationally accredited health centers provide high-quality treatment with lower costs and shorter waiting periods. Many developing countries are emerging as hot medical tourism destinations such as India, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Thailand, and Malaysia etc. Factors such as overburdened healthcare infrastructure, high costs and stringent visa formalities in the West and Middle East have opened up avenues for hospitals, travel companies and companies offering medical services in various Asian countries to promote medical tourism. The cost incurred in travel, treatment and holidaying combined is perhaps a fraction of the charges of treatment in those countries.
According to the University of Delaware, a heart-valve replacement priced at US$200,000 or more in an American hospital can cost less than $10,000 in India, including airfare and a post-operative vacation package.
India has the golden opportunity to emerge as a leader in Medical Tourism, with advanced medical services paired with exotic natural bounties, a boon for medical tourists.. The country has developed, efficient and safe health services, and also has major tourist attractions, some of which are world renowned.
According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and McKinsey study on healthcare, the medical tourism industry in India is poised to be the next big success story after software. It has predicted that the industry will grow to earn additional revenue of $2.3 billion by 2012 and would account for a major share of the country’s revenue soon. In 2004, about 150,000 medical tourists visited India. The Indian medical tourism industry is growing at a whopping rate of 30% annually, catering to patients chiefly from the USA, Europe, West Asia and Africa.
However, the industry is still struggling with few issues, before it becomes a full fledged sector, viz., lack of public awareness, empanelment of professionals and hospitals, regulatory control, transparency and quality, etc. Ministries of Tourism and Health and Welfare would have to work in collaboration to prevent organ smuggling and similar unethical practices.
Medical Tourism
Medical tourism not only creates jobs in the tourism industry, but has brought about the emergence of medical tourism agencies, which are connecting patients and specialized physicians. The key tasks of these companies include finding hospitals, scheduling surgeries, buying airline tickets, reserving hotel rooms, and planning tours for patients. It provides wide clientele to specialized companies which are offering non-hotel accommodation options like service apartment, holiday home and homestay for longer period for the patients. Some of the countries are offering incentives to lure medical tourists like South Africa plays up the possibility of combining surgery and safaris, Hungary boasts that it has 100 thermal springs and 12 medicinal baths, and Thailand entices potential patients with photographs of beaches, temples and the famous Bangkok waterways.
At The Other Home, we offer individual care to patients whom we have as guests at all our homestays. The different packages have been designed through expert medical consultations to meet the specialized needs of different categories of ailments. Also specific prescriptions of individual doctors are taken into consideration for the absolute comfort of our guests.
We welcome you to join our family.
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