Medical Tourism – scope for future Indian market

The Indian healthcare market is Rs. 15 billion and growing at over 30 % every year. This is the biggest growing area in India. The growth is not only internal or domestic but it covering also large part of medical tourism. According to industry estimates, the size of the medical tourism industry stands at Rs 1,200 - Rs 1,500 crore in India. A recent CII-McKinsey study on Indian healthcare says medical tourism alone can generate Rs 5,000- Rs 10,000 crore additional revenue for tertiary hospitals by 2012, and will account for 3-5 % of the total healthcare delivery market. Report says that India has potential to attract one million health tourists per annum and this could contribute up to US$ 5 billion of tourism revenue to the Indian economy.
 What is Medical tourism?
"Medical Tourism" is a developing concept whereby people travel to distant countries for their medical and relaxation needs”. There are lot of definition of medical tourism. It is also known as health tourism. Usually cosmetic and elective procedures are more incorporated with medical tourism.
 Why is India most suitable?

 India has highest quality medical hospitals and they are at par to developed world. Indian corporate hospitals best in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, joint replacement, orthopaedic surgery, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, transplants and urology.
 The total price of overseas medical healthcare travel tour package for many surgery procedure cost, doctors / surgeons fee, all consultations charges, surgery treatment fees, medicines- drugs and procedure consumables, medical tests- investigations, pre and post procedure accommodation at luxury Hotel, personal assistance services- escort, comfortable recuperation, Private car transfers, travel and sight-seeing tours costs can be 60% - 90% cheaper than the procedure alone costs (for the same procedure) one may find in the developed countries.
 The various specialties covered are Neurology, Neurosurgery, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, ENT, Paediatrics, Paediatric Surgery, Pediatric Neurology, Urology, Nephrology, Dermatology, Dentistry, Plastic Surgery, Gynecology, Pulmonology, Psychiatry, General Medicine & General Surgery.
 The various facilities in India include full body pathology, comprehensive physical and gynaecological examinations, dental check-up, eye check-up, diet consultation, audiometry, spirometry, stress & lifestyle management, pap smear, digital Chest X-ray, 12 lead ECG, 2D echo colour doppler, gold standard DXA bone densitometry, body fat analysis, coronary risk markers, cancer risk markers, carotid colour doppler, spiral CT scan and high strength MRI. Each test is carried out by professional M.D. physicians, and is comprehensive yet pain-free.
 There is also a full range of services running the gamut from General Radiography, Ultra Sonography, Mammography to high end services like Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Digital Subtraction Angiography along with intervention procedures, Nuclear Imaging. The diagnostic facilities offered in India are comprehensive to include Laboratory services, Imaging, Cardiology, Neurology and Pulmonology. The Laboratory services include biochemistry, haematology, microbiology, serology, histopathology, transfusion medicine and RIA.
 All medical investigations are conducted on the latest, technologically advanced diagnostic equipment.
 In addition to the increasingly top class medical care, a big draw for foreign patients is also the very minimal or hardly any waitlist as is common in European or American hospitals. In fact, priority treatment is provided today in many Indian hospitals.
 The hospital which established their name even at abroad are Apollo Group, Escorts Hospitals in New Delhi and Jaslok Hospitals in Mumbai Global Hospitals, CARE and Dr L.V. Prasad Eye Hospitals in Hyderabad, The Hindujas and NM Excellence in Mumbai.
 India has much more expertise than other developing countries like Thailand or Malaysia.
 India being a developing economy so has the very favorable currency exchange rates in comparison to GBP, USD, EURO, YEN, AUD, FRANC etc.(3)
 Doctors are required to pay towards Medical Malpractice Insurance, elsewhere this Insurance usually costs USD 90,000 - 140,000 annually whereas in comparison, doctors in India have to pay insurance cost as low as USD 2500 - 3000 annually.
 India is the world's largest exporter of the quality Bulk Drugs therefore the cost of the high quality medicine is cheaper. (3)
Above all reasons have made India as most attractive place for medical tourism.

Family doctor concept is officially coming back in India

MCI is going to start 3-Year PG In Family Medicine. TNN

New Delhi: Family physicians medical practitioners which was fast disappearing concept, which is now being revived officially by MCI.
With India witnessing a rush of medical students keen on becoming specialists,the health ministry and Medical Council of India (MCI) have notified introduction of a new three-year postgraduate course MD in family medicine.
Chairman of MCIs board of governors,Dr K K Talwar said,The curriculum has been prepared and sent to all state governments that have been told to rethink and restart this broad speciality course.
Experts say a doctor with MD (family medicine) will be the one who will know a little of every discipline,from pediatrics to gynecology and will be able to treat the community as a whole. This will soon bring back the family physician in the forefront of primary healthcare.The steering committee on health has also been pressurizing the ministry to endorse family medicine.
In its recent report finalized last week,it said,family medicine discipline needs to be introduced in all medical colleges so that they can effectively manage most of medical problems encountered at primary level,and referral to specialists occurs only when necessary. Till now,most family physicians were MBBS doctors.The MD course on family medicine is more advanced than a simple MBBS and will help doctors wanting to increase their acumen in community health, Dr Talwar said.
At present,the only available post-graduate programme on family medicine was the DNB family medicine qualification,conducted by the National Board of Examinations-accredited community hospitals.
NBE executive director Dr Bipin Batra said,The demand for DNB (family medicine ) course run by the NBE is seeing a major increase.They have 300 seats for this discipline. And the demand is increasing
Students pursuing MD (medicine) are taught more in-depth on diseases,functions of various organs and their treatment. Professor Ranjit Roychoudhury,former member of MCIs board of governors,said,A person with a postgraduate degree in family medicine will look at preventive,prophylactic and promotive healthcare.He will have extensive knowledge on healthcare for the elderly who cannot move out of the house and will be taught on everything from gynecology,psychology to pediatrics.
Introduction of family medicine as a PG discipline has been emphasized by the Bhore Committee,National Health Policy 2002,National Knowledge Commission and the taskforce on human resource for NRHM.
Dr K Srinath Reddy,president of Public Health Foundation of India,said,Family medicine is a required discipline.The rush for specialization has deprived doctors of the ability to look at individuals as a whole and families as one unit.We require large number of persons trained in family medicine,which combines a broad set of clinical competencies.
American Academy of Family Physicians defines it as medical specialty that integrates the biological,clinical and behavioural sciences.The scope of family medicine encompasses all ages both sexes each organ system and every disease entity.