Ajay Kumar at 12:49, 31 August 2023

2023-08-31T12:49:43Z

New page

{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}

[[Medical tourism]] is a growing sector in [[India]]. In mid–2020, India's medical tourism sector was estimated to be worth US$ 5–6 billion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Medical tourism companies turn to telemedicine in wake of Covid-19 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/medical-tourism-companies-turn-to-telemedicine-in-wake-of-covid-19/story-YA0OpXnbjgmvZfsRoHObRP.html |newspaper=Hindustan Times |access-date=July 10, 2020}}</ref> In 2017, 495,056 patients visited India to seek medical care. According to a report from 2019 by the [[Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry]] and [[Ernst & Young]], most of the medical tourist arrivals in India were from Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, and [[SAARC]] region.<ref name="healthindiatimes"/> India also receives significant number of medical tourists from Australia, Canada, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.<ref name="Katz">{{cite web |title=India emerges as new destination for Russian medical tourists |first=Alexandra |last=Katz |date=April 16, 2015 |access-date=February 12, 2020 |url=https://www.rbth.com/society/2015/04/16/india_emerges_as_new_destination_for_russian_medical_tourists_42649}}</ref> The city of [[Chennai]] has come to known as the healthcare capital of India.

To encourage applications and ease the travel process for medical tourists, the government has expanded its e-tourism VISA regime on February 2019, to include medical visas. The maximum duration of stay under this visa is 6 months.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/visa-and-immigration/centre-liberalises-e-visa-regime-to-make-it-more-tourist-friendly/articleshow/68012533.cms?from=mdr|title=Centre liberalises e-Visa regime to make it more tourist friendly|date=2019-02-15|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2019-03-14}}</ref> Since 30 August 2019, foreigners can receive any medical treatment in India with the exception of organ transplants without a medical visa.<ref name="healthindiatimes">{{cite news |title=Is India doing enough to carve a niche in medical tourism? |url=https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/is-india-doing-enough-to-carve-a-niche-in-medical-tourism/72144365 |first=Rashmi |last=Mabiyan |newspaper=The Economic Times |date=November 20, 2019 |access-date=July 10, 2020}}</ref>

== Attractions ==
Advantages of medical treatment in India include reduced costs, the availability of latest medical technologies,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/08/06/stories/2009080651130300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610103949/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/08/06/stories/2009080651130300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-06-10 |title=Reason to smile |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=2011-10-24}}</ref> and compliance on international quality standards, doctors trained in western countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as English-speaking personnel, due to which foreigners are less likely to face language barrier in India.

==Advantages==
===Cost===
[[File:Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, Mumbai.jpg|thumb|[[Hinduja National Hospital|Hinduja National Hospital, Mumbai]]]]
Most estimates found that treatment costs in India start at around one-tenth of the price of comparable treatment in the United States or the United Kingdom.<ref>[http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/004054B8-F475-4C40-872D-5E0D91D25B12.htm "Indian medical care goes global"], Aljazeera.Net, June 18, 2006 Nov 11, 2006</ref><ref name="Goering March 28, 2008">Laurie Goering, [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-medical-tourism_goeringmar28,0,4555735.story "For big surgery, Delhi is dealing,"] The [[Chicago Tribune]], March 28, 2008</ref> The most popular treatments sought in India by medical tourists are alternative medicine, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac bypass, eye surgery, and hip replacement.

===Quality of care===
India has 39 JCI [https://www.medflyy.com/best-hospitals-in-india/ accredited hospitals].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/jci-accredited-organizations/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-09-05 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/69sdmHwPX?url=http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/JCI-Accredited-Organizations/ |archive-date=2012-08-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, for a patient traveling to India, it is important to find the optimal doctor-hospital combination. After the patient has been treated, the patient has the option of either recuperating in the hospital or at a paid accommodation nearby. Many hospitals also give the option of continuing the treatment through [[telemedicine]].

The city of [[Chennai]] has been termed "[[Healthcare in Chennai|India's health capital]]".<ref name="MedicalCapitalsPlaceInHistory">{{cite news| last = Hamid| first = Zubeda| title = The medical capital's place in history| newspaper = The Hindu| location = Chennai| date = 20 August 2012| url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3796305.ece| access-date = 15 Sep 2012}}</ref><ref name="Health capital" /><ref name="CityGetsMostForeignTourists">{{cite news| title = Chennai High: City gets most foreign tourists | location = Chennai| date = 27 August 2010| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-27/chennai/28314945_1_tourist-arrivals-foreign-tourists-tamil-nadu-tourism-development | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104021442/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-27/chennai/28314945_1_tourist-arrivals-foreign-tourists-tamil-nadu-tourism-development | url-status = dead | archive-date = 4 November 2012 | newspaper = [[The Times of India]] | access-date = 11 Sep 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = சென்னை இந்தியாவின் மருத்துவ தலைநகரா?| work = BBC Tamil| publisher = BBC| date = 12 April 2012| url = http://www.bbc.com/tamil/india/2012/04/120412_tnhealth.shtml| access-date = 15 Sep 2012}}</ref> Multi- and super-specialty hospitals across the city bring in an estimated 150 international patients every day.<ref name="MedicalCapitalsPlaceInHistory" /> Chennai attracts about 45 percent of health tourists from abroad arriving in the country and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists.<ref name="Health capital">{{cite web| last = National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers| title = Chennai – India's Health Capital| publisher = India Health Visit| url = http://www.indiahealthvisit.com/chennai-health-capital.htm| access-date = 1 Sep 2012}}</ref> Factors behind the tourists inflow in the city include low costs, little to no waiting period,<ref>{{cite news| last = Porecha| first = Maitri| title = Long wait makes patients head south | newspaper = Daily News & Analysis| location = Mumbai| publisher = DNAIndia.com| date = 8 August 2012| url = http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_long-wait-makes-patients-head-south_1725254 | access-date = 15 Sep 2012}}</ref> and facilities offered at the specialty hospitals in the city.<ref name="MedicalCapitalsPlaceInHistory" /> The city has an estimated 12,500 hospital beds, of which only half is used by the city's population with the rest being shared by patients from other states of the country and foreigners.<ref name="CityToGet3000MoreBeds">{{cite news| title = Country's med capital to get 3,000 more beds| location = Chennai| date = 16 July 2011 | url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-16/chennai/29781077_1_global-hospitals-bed-strength-nj-gowrishankar | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130429200224/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-16/chennai/29781077_1_global-hospitals-bed-strength-nj-gowrishankar | url-status = dead | archive-date = 29 April 2013 | newspaper = [[The Times of India]]| access-date = 16 Sep 2012}}</ref> Dental clinics have attracted dental care tourism to Chennai.<ref>{{cite news| last = Rajan| first = Manoj| title = Foreigners flock to city for dental care| newspaper = [[The Times of India]]| location = Chennai| publisher = [[The Times of India]]| date = 4 October 2011| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-24/chennai/30315929_1_dental-implants-treatment-teeth| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131226154607/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-24/chennai/30315929_1_dental-implants-treatment-teeth| url-status = dead| archive-date = 26 December 2013| access-date = 2 Jan 2013}}</ref>

Private institutions and organisations such as [[Max Healthcare]] have consulted and treated up to 50,000 foreign patients in hospitals across the country.

The promotion of medical tourism in India has helped private players capitalize on this market opportunity.<ref name="CNN">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/health/india-medical-tourism-industry-intl/index.html|title=India wants to make medical tourism a $9 billion industry by 2020|author=Manveena Suri|website=CNN|date=14 February 2019|access-date=2019-03-15}}</ref>

According to Darpan Jain, Joint Secretary of the Indian government's Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry:
{{quote|The strength of India lies in the skills of our doctors, support staff, calibre of our nurses and the state–of–the art infrastructure which has come up in the last few years, some of which are still not available even in very developed economies.<ref name="healthindiatimes"/>}}

===Ease of travel===
The government has removed visa restrictions on tourist visas that required a two-month gap between consecutive visits for people from Gulf countries which is likely to boost medical tourism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-05/chennai/35619712_1_visa-norms-tourist-visas-medical-tourism|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411033957/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-05/chennai/35619712_1_visa-norms-tourist-visas-medical-tourism|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-04-11|title=Easing of visa norms to boost medical tourism |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=2012-12-05}}</ref> A visa-on-arrival scheme for tourists from select countries has been instituted which allows foreign nationals to stay in India for 30 days for medical reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://immigrationindia.nic.in/visa_on_arrival2.htm|title=Visa-on-arrival |publisher=immigrationindia.nic.in |date=2012-12-05}}</ref> In 2016, citizens of Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Maldives, Republic of Korea and Nigeria availed the most medical visas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Medical tourism to keep pharma industry in good health: Study|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/academy/report-medical-tourism-to-keep-pharma-industry-in-good-health-study-2329151|website=dna|access-date=20 February 2017|date=20 February 2017}}</ref>

===Language===
Despite India's diversity of languages, English is an official language and is widely spoken by most people and almost universally by medical professionals. In [[Noida]], a number of hospitals have hired language translators to make patients from Balkan and African countries feel more comfortable while at the same time helping in the facilitation of their treatment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-24/noida/36525978_1_medical-tourism-patients-medical-translators|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411060557/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-24/noida/36525978_1_medical-tourism-patients-medical-translators|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-04-11|title=Medical translators to aid foreign patients|work=[[The Times of India]] |date=2013-01-24}}</ref>

A large number of medical tourism companies are facilitating foreigners, especially patients from Arabic-, Russian-, English-, and Bangla-speaking countries.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

==Statistics==
In November 2019, a report from [[The Economic Times]] stated that of all medical tourist arrivals in India, Maharashtra receives 27%, Chennai receives around 15%, and Kerala receives nearly 5–7% of them.<ref name="healthindiatimes"/>

===Russia===
[[Russia Beyond]] notes that of the estimated 300,000 Russian medical tourists who travel worldwide every year for healthcare, India receives over 250,000 of them.<ref name="Katz"/>

==Meditourism hubs==

[[Bengaluru]], [[Chandigarh Capital Region]] (CCR) tricity, [[Healthcare in Chennai|Chennai]], [[National Capital Region (India)|Delhi NCR including [[Gurugram]] and [[Faridabad]], [[Jaipur]], [[Kerala]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]], etc.

[[Hisar Airport#Medicity|Hisar Medicity]] is an upcoming hub, which was under planning and construction in 2021. for the seamless connectivity. Spice Jet has signed an agreement to set up flight training centre to train pilots in the batches of 100 pilots.<ref name=arj1>[https://www.amarujala.com/haryana/hisar/airport-3300-meters-runway-to-be-ready-by-may-2022-hisar-news-hsr6063738195 एयरपोर्ट: मई 2022 तक तैयार होगा 3300 मीटर का रनवे], Amar Ujala, 18 Jul 2021.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Medical tourism provider]]

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |journal=Russian Journal of Linguistics |volume=21 |issue=3 |year=2017 |issn=2686-8024 |pages=515–529 |doi=10.22363/2312-9182-2017-21-3-515-529 |title=The role of the Russian language in India's Healthcare Sector |url=http://journals.rudn.ru/linguistics/article/view/16789 |via=[[Peoples' Friendship University of Russia]] |place=Moscow |last=Suryanarayan |first=N.|doi-access=free }}
*{{cite web |title=How Technology Is Changing Health Care in India |url=https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/technology-changing-health-care-india/ |work=[[Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Medical tourism by destination country|India]]
[[Category:Tourism in India]]

Medical tourism in India - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 12:49, 31 August 2023