Medical Tourism in India- The Next Boom?

It is almost tough to imagine that there was a time when Indians would travel to other countries in search of advance medical treatments for their health issues. Now things are quiet contrary to that, and India has become a forerunner in the field of medical tourism. Large number of people from the US and UK visit India to seek medical treatments for their ailments every year. The main reasons for driving this change is that India provides affordable treatments, with high-quality healthcare agencies offering world-class facilities and boasting of top of the line equipment’s and technologies. The medical treatments in India cost almost one tenth of what they would cost in the US or the UK. Cost of living is also low so if a patient and their family have to stay for long periods for post operative care it does not burn a hole in their pocket. There is no wait list for getting a medical procedure done in India, a patient can get a major surgery done within 4-5 days of applying for it. What the government in doing to help the industry grow The government is taking major steps to harness the potential of medical tourism in India they have step up a special website for the purpose that provides comprehensive information and details that any visitor would need. A policy for health tourism is also in the process of being finalized that will help streamline the industry. This will standardize the industry and keep a check on the medical personnel that are involved in providing such facilities. The government is also working in further easing the visa application for medical reasons. There are centralized forms that have been created that make the application process easy. For a lot of the countries there is even an option of a medical visa on arrival. There is complete support from the government to set up special cells in hospitals all over the country to cater to international patients and their attendants. The future of this industry Around half a million people are coming to India every year to seek medical treatments. Most of the patients are getting cardio logical treatments, eye surgeries, hip replacements, knee replacements, cancer treatments, hair transplants and even exploring Ayurveda and yoga as solutions for their health issues. By the year 2020 it is estimated that the medical tourism industry will become close to nine billion US dollars. Being a huge source of revenue in the years to come and making India a global leader in the field.