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Medical centres in India are eqipped with the most advanced equipment available
anywhere in the world
INDIA is rapidly emerging as a
major international healthcare
hub, with thousands of ‘medical
tourists’ from around the world
coming here for a range of treatment.
Many of the leading cities in the
country today boast of modern hospitals
with state-of-the-art equipment,
and staffed with physicians, doctors
and other professionals who have
obtained advanced qualifications in
the US and the UK, and have also
had several years work experience in
some of the best hospitals in the
West.
One major attraction, for the
patients, is the relatively low-cost of
treatment in India. |
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Private hospitals
in India today conduct virtually all
the major procedures — using the
same sophisticated equipment — as
done in New York, London or Frankfurt,
at a fraction of the cost prevailing
in those cities.
With healthcare costs soaring in
many developed countries, a growing
number of patients find it worth their
while to fly down to India and
undergo surgeries here. Even after
taking into consideration the cost of
travel and stay for a few weeks, it
makes sense to visit India for
treatment.
In many developed countries there
is a waiting list for even ordinary
procedures. Instead of waiting for a
few months for an ordinary surgery
in London, many British patients —
including the large number of NRIs
living there — find it better to come
to Delhi or Mumbai and undergo the procedure.
In the US, there are hundreds of
thousands of people without medical
insurance, and who find the cost of
procedures like heart surgery to be
prohibitive. There are many intermediaries
in the US today, who arrange
for these patients to be flown to India
for a quick surgery at a fraction of
the cost.
India has over the years emerged
as a major medical hub, initially for
patients from the neighbouring countries
and the region, and now from
around the world. Arab patients have
been visiting India for decades. Says
Dr Keiki Mehta of the Mehta Eye
Institute: “A very large number of
Arab patients visit Mumbai for eye
treatment especially for difficult
cases of the retina, or for managing
little children. Regular cataract surgeries
have now dropped since the
Middle East does good cataract
surgeries.”
According to him, medical centres
in India “offer the finest treatment
with the most advanced equipment
available anywhere in the world
comparing favourably with an equivalent
medical centre in America or
Germany.
In many ways far better
than any of the smaller countries.”
Arab patients, for instance, expect
a well organised system from airport to hotel to hospital, full facility treatment, including pathology, coupled with Arabic speaking guides, with an infrastructure to take the family members for shopping and recreation.
The price difference for treatments
in India and the US are huge. A root
canal job in India would cost just
around $110, whereas in the US a
patient may have to shell out $1,000.
Orthopaedic surgery in India costs a
little over $6,000, as against $20,000
in the US. A heart surgery costs
about $8,700 in India, as against a
stiff $30,000 in America.
Indian hospitals also conduct
sophisticated surgeries like liver
transplants and bone marrow transplants
(for under $70,000), as against
$250,000 to $300,000 in the US.
Even non-surgical procedures are
cheaper in India: a Botox treatment
costs $8 a unit in India as against $70
in the US; laser resurfacing/wrinkle
reduction costs $225 in India ($550
in the US). Many airline crew get
these quick procedures done at the
numerous clinics in Mumbai on a
regular basis.
Awareness about India’s growing
profile in medical tourism is also
increasing. Indian hospitals are seeking and getting accreditation from leading international institutions who conduct regular checks of their facilities.
India is indeed set to emerge as
a major medical tourism hub.
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