India hub of medical tourism

Sumit Banerjee, Academic Administrator, Global Group of Institutions, discusses emerging medical tourism industry in India. Cost, quality and waiting time are just a few reasons that contribute to growth of industry, and over time, India has established itself as premier destination for people seeking best clinical treatment.

Medical Tourism (also known as Medical Value Travel, Health Tourism or Wellness Tourism) is the rapidly growing practice of seeking healthcare services in other parts of the world. In India, healthcare services and offerings are divided into three primary categories: Medical treatment: Includes heartcare, organ transplantation, orthopaedics, neurosciences, oncology and bariatrics, among other things. Wellness and rejuvenation: Cosmetic surgery, stress alleviation, spa treatments, and other services aimed at rejuvenation or aesthetic purposes. Alternative Medicine: Treatment to seek Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) services.

India presently has about 18 per cent of the global medical tourism market, according to the Union Ministry of Tourism. Over the years, India has become a premier and attractive destination for travellers from across the globe to attain the best clinical treatment, recharge and rejuvenate. Medical tourism in India is expanding at a rate of 30 per cent each year. The cost, quality, waiting time and other aspects contribute to the development. Medical treatment costs in India range between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of those in the United States and one-sixth of those in Europe.

India is considered one of Asia’s leading medical tourism destinations. The country has several advantages, which include specialised professionals, infrastructure and state of the art facilities. Owing to all this, the country has seen an influx of patients from the Middle East, South Asian countries, Europe and Africa for treatments for multi-organ transplants, cardiac care, cosmetic surgeries, hip replacements, cancer surgeries and gastronomical procedures. As per a FICCI report, over 500,000 foreign patients come annually for treatment in India.

The Government of India has been taking crucial steps to establish the country as the hub of medical tourism. Some of the key initiatives include:

The e-Medical and Medical Attendant Visas: The e-Tourist Visa launched in 2014 has expanded to include medical visits and medical attendant visas in order to streamline the travel procedures and protocols for allowing multiple entries and long-term stays of medical tourists. Additionally, separate immigration counters and facilitation desks have also been set up at major Indian airports to provide end to end support and facilitation.

The National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board: The National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Tourism to provide a dedicated and comprehensive institutional framework to promote and enhance medical tourism, including the Indian system of medicine covered by AYUSH.

Digital Enablement: The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) have developed a healthcare portal for seekers and potential medical tourists from across the globe which functions as a comprehensive information site covering hospital-related and travel-related information on India. The portal covers 124 accredited medical facilities across 93 medical centres, 30 Ayurveda and wellness centres and one special category centre.

Fiscal Support and Non-Fiscal Initiatives: To encourage medical tourism, the Union Ministry of Tourism aims to provide financial aid to approved Wellness Tourism Service Providers and Medical Tourism Service Providers under the Marketing Development Assistance Scheme (MDA). The government has been taking initiatives to promote indigenous medicine and related therapeutic procedures. The Union AYUSH Ministry has recently been allocated `2,970 crore in the Union Budget for FY 2021-22, as compared to `2,122 crore for FY 2020-21, tapping the centuries old wisdom of spiritual philosophy. The Union Tourism Ministry has constituted a Wellness and Medical Tourism Promotion Committee and chalked out detailed guidelines to promote wellness and medical tourism as niche tourism products among international tourists.