Medical Healthcare Tourism in India: India in the recent years has emerged as a major hub for medical tourism and is now considered amongst the top six medical value travel destinations in the world. Foreign tourism arrivals for medical purposes have increased in the recent past. Some of the factors which make India a compelling destination for medical travel are reputed health care professionals and hospitals, English speaking health care workers, cutting edge global technology, personalized service, lower cost, lesser waiting time and rich cultural and leisure destinations. It is estimated that value of medical tourism to India is likely to reach USD 9 billion by 2020. Medical tourists from Fiji & other Pacific countries come to India to avail our health services which combine the latest medical technologies with qualified professionals, top-notch doctors, extensive experience and are cheaper as compared to the costs of similar healthcare services in the other foreign countries. They come for surgeries, liver transplants, hip replacements, eye surgeries, cardiac bypasses, bone marrow transplants, other wellness and IVF treatments, dental and even cosmetic care.
Some of the initiatives successfully implemented by our Ministry of Tourism are:
-
E-Visa for Medical tourists in addition to the existing medical and medical attendant visa, which is free for Fiji citizen.
-
Patients not required to personally register with the FRRO.
-
Facilitation counters at 3 international airports and 5 more are on the anvil.
-
Accreditation by NABH introduced for a new category called Medical Value Travel Facilitators who would play the coordinating role similar to tour operators.
-
Health care portal www.indiahealthcaretourism.com has been augmented with comprehensive information on the accredited healthcare institutions in English, Arabic, Russian and French.
