When it comes to health, nothing should come in between. It is very important to take care of the health. All of the things we do and the goals that we have to achieve are only possible when our health is in good hands. There may be some compromises needed but you shouldn’t shy away from them. In the end, if we have good health, chances will come again and there will be opportunities to do what we haven’t been able to do. But sometimes we don’t have the solution in our hands. When it comes to treatment of critical diseases, there may not be adequate facilities present in our own country or if they are present, the cost will be quite high. This has made medical tourism very famous. More and more people are now opting for medical tourism.
Medical tourism is the term which is used in which people travel to foreign countries for the primary aim of receiving medical treatment. With the help of medical advancement, it has been possible for people all the over world to get highest quality treatment for any given body part. When the term medical tourism was first used, it only referred to patients who were seeking treatments that were unavailable in their home country. But now, cost has also become an important factor. It is mostly done for surgeries such as heart bypass, cosmetic, dentistry etc. This treatment also encompasses the services of healthcare and wellness.
When it comes to medical tourism, India has become a preferred destination for many. And this is true for every disease that can be life threatening or the treatment of which requires expertise. If you need any more assurances, then you can check the stats for yourself. As of 2015, this industry was estimated to be worth US$3 billion. It is projected to grow around $7-8 billion which shows more than double expansion. This proves that medical tourism in India is growing by leaps and bounds.
India is termed as “one of the lowest cost and highest quality of all medical tourism destinations’. The primary reason for this is cost effectiveness and highest quality treatment. USA and UK are considered as the largest source countries. According to a report, Bangladeshis and Afghans accounted for 34 percent of foreign patients. They form the largest share due to close proximity with India and their own poor healthcare infrastructure. If we see which Indian states receive the maximum patients, then metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore received the highest number of patients. Out of all the states, Chennai is called as the health capital of India.
But what makes India as the first choice? What all reasons are there for India’s increase in popularity to dominate the market of healthcare? These reasons are explained in detail below
• Quality of the healthcare received by patients is unparalleled. The education that is received in primary schools has to be credited with that. When the foundation is strong, the end result will be great. This can be further proved by seeing the top doctors in developed countries like USA and UK. The list is headed by Indians only. This is the primary reason which makes patients confident enough to travel to India.
• Cost is another important factor. In fact, nowadays, it has become the most important factor for some people. Most of the treatments that you can get in India start at about one-tenth of the cost of the comparable treatment in USA or UK. For example, open heart surgery in USA costs around $125,000 whereas in India, you will get this for just $5,200. The savings which the patient makes is even more than the annual salary of most of the people.
• Government of India has also embraced this program with open arms. They have removed the restrictions in traveling for medical purpose. There used to be visa restrictions that required two month gap between consecutive visits for people from gulf countries. But that rules has been slashed now. There is provision of Visa on Arrival for patients of certain countries. There are certain rules for medical visa which should be obeyed while procuring it.
• There is no language barrier for patients traveling to India. English is an official language here and you can communicate with doctors here in English. A number of hospitals also have translators present for people who are only comfortable conversing in their native language.