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All types of tourism in India have registered phenomenal growth in the last decade ever since the Indian government decided to boost revenues from the tourism sector by projecting India as the ultimate tourist spot. The reason why India has been doing well in all types of tourism in India is that India has always been known for its hospitality, uniqueness, and charm attributes that have been attracting foreign travelers to India in hordes. The Indian government, in order to boost tourism of various kinds in India, has set up the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. This ministry recently launched a campaign called Incredible India! in order to encourage different types of tourism in India. The result was that in 2004, foreign tourists spent around US$ 15.4 billion during their trips to India. Being a country with tremendous diversity, India has a lot to offer in terms of tourism and related activities. The diversity that India is famous for, ensures that there is something to do for all tourists in India, no matter what their interests.
Medical tourism Tourists from all over the world have been thronging India to avail themselves of costeffective but superior quality healthcare in terms of surgical procedures and general medical attention. There are several medical institutes in the country that cater to foreign patients and impart top-quality healthcare at a fraction of what it would have cost in developed nations such as USA and UK. It is expected that medical tourism in India will hold a value around US$ 2 billion by 2012. The city of Chennai attracts around 45% of medical tourists from foreign countries. Pilgrimage tourism India is famous for its temples and that is the reason that among the different kinds of tourism in India, pilgrimage tourism is increasing most rapidly. The various places for tourists to visit in India for pilgrimage are Vaishno Devi, Golden temple, Char Dham, and Mathura Vrindavan. Eco tourism Among the types of tourism in India, ecotourism have grown recently. Ecotourism entails the sustainable preservation of a naturally endowed area or region. This is becoming more and more significant for the ecological development of all regions that have tourist value. For ecotourism in India, tourists can go to places such as Kaziranga National Park, Gir National Park, and Kanha National Park. Cultural tourism India is known for its rich cultural heritage and an element of mysticism, which is why tourists come to India to experience it for themselves. The various fairs and festivals that tourists can visit in India are the Pushkar fair, Taj Mahotsav, and Suraj Kund mela. The types of tourism in India have grown and this has boosted the Indian economy. That it continues to grow efforts must be taken by the Indian government, so that the tourism sector can contribute more substantially to the nations GDP.
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The cost of medical services in India is almost 30% lower to that in Western countries and the cheapest in South-east Asia. Language is a major comfort factor that invites so many foreign tourists to visit India for medical and health tourism. India has a large populace of good English speaking doctors, guides and medical staff. This makes it easier for foreigners to relate well to Indian doctors. Indian hospitals excel in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, joint replacements, transplants, cosmetic treatments, dental care, Orthopaedic surgery and more. The medical services in India include full body pathology, comprehensive physical and gynecological examinations, audiometry, spirometry, Chest X-ray, 12 lead ECG, 2D echo Colour Doppler, gold standard DXA bone densitometry, body fat analysis, coronary risk markers, cancer risk markers, high strength MRI etc. All medical treatments and investigations are done using the latest, technologically advanced diagnostic equipments. Indian doctors have got an expertise in performing successful cardiac surgeries, bone marrow transplants, liver transplants, orthopaedic surgeries and other medical treatments. The cost of Infertility treatments in India is almost 1/4th of that in developed nations. The availability of modern assisted reproductive techniques, such as IVF, and a full range of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services have made India the first choice for infertility treatments. Foreign patients can get package deals including flights, transfers, hotels, treatment and post-operative vacation for their medical visits to India. Many foreign patients prefer to combine their leisure and relaxation visits to India with healthcare.
The Government of India has declared that treating of foreign patients is legal. It is encouraging medical tourism in the country by offering tax breaks and export incentives to participating hospitals. In addition, the Government has cleared medical visas.
Modern & Traditional: This is Indias USP. Modern medical aid as well as traditional therapy, such as ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy etc, is available at different locations across the country including Bangalore. Tourism Potential: People who come for relatively simple, but important procedures, can consider packing in some travel too, with their doctors permission! This is an added advantage. Every part of the country is rich in history and diverse in geography.
WHAT MAKES INDIA DIFFERENT FROM OTHER COUNTRIES: WELLNESS TOURISM IN INDIA
India is uniquely positioned to cater to not merely health (the absence of disease or infirmity) but Wellness too with a rich pool of ancient wisdom, knowledge and traditions to draw upon. From Yoga to Ayurveda, from several schools of meditation to Naturopathy, Indian culture traditionally believes in Wellness as a way of life. And that legacy today makes us one of the major Wellness destinations in the world.
Medical Consultation and Surgery India is the most preferred medical surgery and treatment destination due to major factors favouring it. India has a plethora of Government hospitals and Private Tertiary Care Medical Institutions with International JCI (Joint Commission International) Accreditation. Most of these are among the best in the world. They are well equipped with the latest and most refined technologies. The humane team of internationally trained Consultants and Surgeons in India, supported round-the-clock by specialist clinical teams, ensure total patient care with high success rates. And the cost of Medical consultation and surgeries comes very reasonable. The major surgeries for which foreigners visit India are cited below:
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Heart/Cardio Surgeries Eye Care Cosmetic treatments Dental Care Orthopaedic Surgeries Organ Transplants Infertility Treatment
AYURVEDA The term 'Ayurveda' means 'Science of Life'. This probably makes it the earliest medical science having a positive concept of health to be achieved through a blending of physical, mental, social, moral and spiritual welfare. India has moved forwards in advocating the global usefulness of Ayurveda in contemporary scenario of health care through global networks. As a result, many foreign countries have started realising the importance and effectiveness of this science. People from U.S.A., U.K., Russia, Germany, Hungary, South Africa and other parts of the world come to India to get treated by Ayurveda experts here. YOGA Yoga is a science as well an art of living healthy, physically, mentally, morally and spiritually. Its systematic growth from animal level to the normalcy, from there to the divinity, ultimately. Its no way limited by race, age, sex, religion, cast or creed and can
be practiced by those who seek an education on better living and those who want to have a more meaningful life. There are innumerable Yoga centers in India that disseminate information and teach how yoga and medication can bring positive changes to ones life. Although Yoga camps are organised in almost every Indian city, places in India that are popular for their yoga and meditation therapies are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Rishikesh Haridwar Dharamshala Auroville in Pondicherry Puttaparti near Bangalore Mount Abu
In India, Yoga has been developed into a science that is beneficiary in curing several diseases.
NATUROPATHY Naturopathy is a system of healing science that stimulates the bodys inherent power to regain health with the help of five great elements of nature Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether. Naturopathy is a call to "Return to Nature" and to resort to simple way of living in harmony with the self, society and environment. Naturopathy provides not only a simple practical approach to the management of diseases, but a firm theoretical basis which is applicable to all the holistic medical care and by giving attention to the foundations of health; also offers a more economical frame work for the medicine of future generation. Naturopathy is also gaining popularity in the Western world because of its natural way of restoring happiness in life. UNANI Unani system of medicine is one of the oldest in the world. It is still popular & practiced in the Indian sub continent & other parts of the world. According to Basic Principals of Unani, the body is made up of the four Basic elements i.e. Earth, Air, Water, Fire which have different Temperaments i.e. Cold, Hot, Wet, Dry. Diseases are mainly diagnosed with the help of Pulse (Nabz), physical examination of the Urine and Stool. Also, patients are examined systematically to make the diagnosis easy as spot diagnosis with the help of simple, modern gadgets.
SIDDHA This principles and doctrines of Siddha system, both fundamental and applied, have a close similarity to Ayurveda, with specialisation in Iatro-chemistry. According to this system, the human body is the replica of the universe and so are the food and drugs irrespective of their origin. This system also deals with the concept of salvation in life. The exponents of this system consider that achievement of this state is possible by medicines and meditation. The Siddha system is capable of treating all types of diseases other than emergency cases. In general, this system is effective in treating all types of skin problems particularly Psoriasis, STD, urinary tract infections, diseases of liver and gastro intestinal tract, general debility, postpartum anaemia, diarrhoea and general fevers in addition to arthritis and allergic disorders. HOMEOPATHY Homoeopathy today is a rapidly growing system and is being practiced almost all over the world. A rough study indicates that about 10% of the Indian population solely depends on Homoeopathy for their Health care needs. It is more than a century and a half now that Homoeopathy is being practiced in India. It has blended so well into the roots and traditions of the country that it has been recognised as one of the National Systems of Medicine and plays an important role in providing health care to a large number of people. Its strength lies in its evident effectiveness as it takes a holistic approach towards the sick individual through promotion of inner balance at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels. And so, people from all over the world reply on Indias mastery in curing diseases through Homeopathy.
Dr. Sushrut uses the most advanced technologies in performing these surgeries, many of which are proprietary. The surgeries performed are computer assisted and he uses a special laminar air flow space suit to perform the complicated surgeries which assure zero infection. This technology even helps a doctor sitting thousands of miles away to watch the surgery being conducted on his patient, whom he sends to India becoaude of lack of expertise in his country. The amazing thing about the surgeries performed by Dr. Sushrut is that it allows the patient a very high degree of mobility compared to the surgeries performed in foreign countries. For example a patient operated upon by Dr. Babhulkar is able to squat while the foreign surgeries allow the patient limited mobility of being able to sit on a chair. Thus the comfort and mobility offered by Dr. Babhulkar is unmatched in the world as of today. As accreditation is an issue with the foreign patients who seek medical intervention, Sushrut Hospital has an ISO 9001-2000 certification and is pursuing the other essential accreditation required for a super specialty hospital promoting medical tourism. The patients who have availed the services at Sushrut hospital are all praises and extremely excited about the experience they had in Nagpur. The wellness and comfort that they experience after having undergone the surgery is beyond description. The word of mouth publicity by the foreign patients is also helping in bringing new patients to seek medical assistance in Sushrut Hospital. Moreover, Dr. Sushrut Babhulkar also has an associate in Europe who recommends patients in need of knee, joint and total hip replacement, hip resurfacing surgeries to Sushrut Hospital. Incidentally, since all the foreign tourists who have been treated by Dr. Sushrut were old, none took the recuperating trip to Kanha as they did not want to undertake an additional journey and preferred to return back to their home country as soon as possible. But the facilities provided by Hotel Tuli International at the Kanha tiger resort matches the best in the world. Kanha tiger resort is a private initiative of Hotel Tuli International. The hotel on its part adheres to the rules that apply to the other resorts functioning in the state of Madhya Pradesh (MP) as the Kanha reserve is under the jurisdiction of the MP government. Most of the visitors going to Kanha are foreigners, but it is also very popular among the local Nagpurians and visitors from other places in Maharashtra. Some people are also exploring the possibilities of having marriages organized in the resort The resort employs substantial local people for the odd jobs that are required to be done at the resort. Therefore in terms of employment generation, the resort has contributed substantially in the social upliftment of the local population. In addition, many small service providers have sprung up on the roads leading up to Kanha, thereby creating secondary employment in the micro-region. Kanha tiger resort being in the wilderness, there is an absence of a vibrant local market. But the tourist who comes to Nagpur helps himself in the huge shopping malls that have come up in Nagpur in the past couple of years. Moreover, Nagpur is also famous for its oranges and hence it is also known as the Orange City of India. The city also offers some exotic sweets that are a specialty of this region. The other players of the medical tourism network who do not play a very active role in the present case study are the following: Local tour operators Local insurance agencies Local market and the Local guides Though this case study does not have the involvement of all the probable network members that normally constitute a medical tourism service sector network, it has the potential of becoming an immensely popular and preferred destination, particularly for the people seeking
knee and total hip replacement interventions. The identified gaps/weaknesses and recommendations emerging out of this case study are presented in details below:
is the will to put in hard work to develop new world class tourism facilities and maintain the existing ones. The State Ministry of Tourism also needs to be made aware of the increasing popularity of medical tourism so that state of Maharashtra does not lose out to other states in attracting foreign tourists. 4. Lack of vigorous marketing by healthcare institutes Dr. Sushrut Babhulkar strongly brought out the point that the healthcare institutes in Nagpur offering specialty medical interventions like Sushrut Hospital and Research Centre as well as other institutes run by individual expert doctors have not been able to market themselves well in the rapidly expanding market of medical healthcare providers. The primary reason attributed to this was the lack of time on the part of the doctor to look at this aspect. Recommendations: There was a suggestion that there should be service providers who can help individual healthcare institutes in bringing their expertise before the world. The mutual benefits of this will be huge and shall go a long way in diverting medical tourists to the A class cities. 5.Lack of coordination between the hotels and healthcare institutes At the moment, the healthcare institutes and the hotels are operating independently of each other in Nagpur. The hotel has its own clientele and is not aware of the potential clients in terms of the medical tourists who come to Nagpur to avail medical interventions. Nagpur has two five star hotels, one situated at a stones throw from the airport and the other right in the heart of the city. Recommendations: These hotels and the health care institutes should work in collaboration which will prove to be mutually beneficial for both the parties and the hotels will also do better if they can extend their services from merely providing accommodation to providing for the tourists journey to the nearby tourist hotspot and also a full time general practitioner to attend to medial emergencies, if any. 6. Proactive role by the insurance companies Nagpur boasts of a healthy presence of both government and private insurance companies. But these insurance companies as of today are only targeting the consumers in terms of the myriad healthcare policies that they have to offer. The medical cover by such insurance companies to a foreign tourist is virtually non-existent. Recommendations: The insurance companies should set in place some kind of policy that will help in cutting down the window/waiting period of three months and they should be able to provide medical cover to the foreign patients seeking a major medical intervention. At the moment, it is felt that a major intervention in the insurance sector is needed with respect to providing insurance facilities to medial tourists. Summarizing the above discussions, the general recommendations that will give a major boost to Indian medical tourism include the following: Working towards internationally recognized accreditation Regulatory bodies with teeth Better coordination between the ministries Co-operation between the different stakeholders of this service sector network Medical insurance reforms Vigorous marketing & information dissemination Sustainable development
CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that in the last 20 years, India's healthcare sector has made tremendous progress, not only in the science of medicine but also in the quality of service that out private hospitals are able to provide. Thousands of people in the UK, Europe and North America, who have come to some of the top hospitals in India to avail of a variety of medical services in the past decade, have gone back delighted with the experience. Even the Joint Commission International (JCI) the global wing of the American JCAHO (Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Organisations), has recognised that the quality of hospitals in this country matched US standards in every way. Leaders of the global healthcare community have also heaped fulsome praise on the leading Indian hospitals during personal visits from time to time. This does not means to say that there aren't very specific situations where it may be essential for someone to go overseas for medical treatment, particularly if the disease is a very rare form or if very expensive equipment is needed. Having said that, the leaders of the country have been the best brand ambassador to
our medical tourism. The last two Prime Ministers of the country have treated themselves in Indian hospitals. Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his knee replacement surgery and Manmohan Singh for his by-pass surgery. This legacy and brand building for the last 2 decades has been put under an opposite impression by the ruling party leader Sonia Gandhi. By getting herself treated abroad recently, she has raised eyebrows of many on the ability of Indian physicians. Is it not the promoters responsibility to use its own product? A question unanswered..