The Social and Economic Effects of Medical Tourism in India

Medical tourism is having a positive impact in this country. Here are some of the reasons.

In recent times, medical tourism has gained traction in a lot of developing countries and India has made a mark for itself in the global platform in offering quality healthcare, online medical consultation to patients from all over the world. The country is being appreciated and is in much demand for its modern infrastructure, excellent modern medical treatments, helpful staff and affordability drawing more and more medical tourists from the western world. But although India has carved out a niche for itself in this medical tourism industry, it needs to put in some extra effort to promote medical tourism and various advanced medical treatments properly to garner more patients. 

The thing is medical tourism has slowly started to have a great impact on the social and economic dimension in India. And slowly industry experts are starting to take notice of this potential industry and looking for ways to promote and help it grow in this competitive market. Experts are especially concerned about the past, present and future position of medical tourism in India. With new medical advancements and stiff competition from various other Asian countries, Medical tourism faces immense challenges specially since the Indian medical sector is still evolving and trying to establish itself.

Benefits of Medical Treatment in India

 The only factor that attracts patients to India is the quality of its medical services, affordability, immediate medical attention and advanced medical treatments. With every passing day, more and more patients are coming to India to seek medical assistance and the number is only increasing. India has innumerable trained and experienced doctors, skilled staff and modern facilities that have gained popularity in the western world. One of the biggest impacts of the economic growth in India is the steady rise in the building of state-of-the-art healthcare facilities all over the country. The future of medical tourism promises to bring in a lot of money in this country.

According to a recent report, the medical tourism industry in the country is growing at 30% every year. The biggest factor that has contributed to this is the random development of modern medical procedures and scientific advancements. All over India there are various multi-speciality hospitals offering alternative medical facilities to patients and helping them to recover fast and return to their home country. To sum up, here are the benefits of modern healthcare system in India:

• Patients do not have to wait to receive medical attention. 
•  Patients receiving chemotherapy or other treatments that drains them physically, emotionally and mentally can easily opt for alternative therapies to combine with their medical treatment.
• Patients can choose from a wide range of medical treatments and also opt for the age-old Ayurveda and homeopathic treatments.

Medical Tourism Is Growing Steadily In Asian Countries. So The Question Arises – Is Medical Tourism The Future of India In the Healthcare Sector?

Here Are Some Factors That Indicate Medical Tourism In India Is The Next “Big Thing.”

Patients are always on the lookout for affordable healthcare solutions be it any work associated with dentistry, hip replacement or plastic surgery. Healthcare around the world is becoming expensive with every passing day and so patients are now compelled to travel to other countries where they can access modern healthcare facilities at affordable rates. This has now become a trend and has led to the rise in Medical Tourism in various Asian countries, mainly India. 

But it is worthy of mentioning that this trend to travel abroad and seek medical assistance is not new. Earlier patients seeking modern healthcare facilities would travel to western countries for treatment. At present, this has been reversed and people are travelling to Asian countries specially India and Korea for affordable healthcare facilities. 

But this does not mean that patients are giving up quality for cheap medical procedures. Most hospitals and doctors are internationally recognised and trained to handle complex procedures. Doctors and hospitals in India not only offer advanced infrastructure and treatment facilities, but also easy access to complex medical procedures, caring staff who can easily communicate in English, variety of hospitals and medical procedures to choose from and high success rates that attract foreign patients.

Although patients are warned about the various malpractice laws in some countries, the basic factor that compels them is medical costs for a medical procedure that they require. In India, the rise in online healthcare consultation enables patients to connect with their doctors online and seek medical consultation. This is particularly helpful for patients who seek medical attention in India, return to their home country and continue to be in touch with their doctor to seek consultation whenever required. For instance, iClinic Healthcare is an online medical healthcare service provider assisting patients to plan their travel to India, choose the top hospital and doctor for their treatment, seek online consultation before planning their medical trip and return to their home country in good health and still stay connected with their respective doctor for future consultations. 

Medical tourism in India has not only helped the healthcare sector but also has a remarkable impact on the tourism industry. Most of the time patients head for a vacation post their treatment in India with their companions and family. Although many countries promote medical tourism, Singapore, Thailand and India are the leaders in the medical tourism industry. All the three countries have internationally recognized hospitals and designated doctors. The supporting staff can communicate in English and treatment costs are way affordable than western countries. Additionally, patients can easily get a medical VISA for these countries and plan a trip easily. So, we can conclude by saying that medical tourism has a good future in the Indian healthcare sector with more and more hospitals and medical partners trying to tap the international market for patients.

Disadvantages of Medical Tourism in India

Although more and more patients are heading here for various medical procedures, Medical Tourism India has its own set of disadvantages

Medical Tourism is gaining traction all around the world and enabling patients from developing countries to travel to other developing countries and receive affordable healthcare and surgery options. It is an industry with much potential and since it hardly has any disadvantages both patients and the facilitator derive various advantages. 

 

But although everything might seem well on the outside, there are certain things that might go terribly wrong. So it is essential to be cautious and be alert. Here are some of the things to keep in mind:

·     Patients need to ensure that they are seeking quality healthcare from the hospital they choose. This can be done by seeking thorough details about the hospital and contacting the correct authorities while arranging a medical trip.

·     Patients also need to ensure they are seeing the best doctor. With the introduction of online consultation, patients can first consult a doctor of their choice and when convinced, can go ahead and arrange their trip.

·     Since more and more patients are heading to Asian countries to seek medical treatments, it is greatly affecting the healthcare industry in the western world. The high cost of medical treatments is the biggest factor for patients to opt for Asian countries where they receive medical treatment that is at par with the western world.

·     Another essential factor is that patients don’t have to wait to seek medical assistance in Asian countries unlike the scenario in U.S or U.K. Countries promoting medical tourism offer discounted rates, affordable accommodation and food options making it easy for patients to plan a medical tour.

·     Medical tourism has also helped to boost the tourism industry in various countries. Patients are accompanied by family and spouses who prefer to take a vacation after the treatment is over to relax and explore the exotic country where they are traveling.

·     In countries like India, Singapore and Korea, hospitals are accredited by renowned international authorities which helps to attract medical tourists. Also most doctors are internationally trained and well-renowned for their consultation and surgery.

Although traveling to a foreign land to seek medical treatment can be a tough decision for many patients but at present it is made easy and effortless by all the various options that are specially targeted for the medical tourist. For instance, the Indian government has made it easy to attain medical visas for patients, there are various agencies, hospitals and travel partners helping patients to plan their stay in India, well qualified doctors and top hospitals with modern infrastructure and world-class healthcare facilities. These factors have resulted in more and more patients flocking to India to seek treatments and returning in good health to their home country.