Health Tourism In India Guide – Process,Risks Involved and Top Medical Tourism Companies

Introduction

Health Tourism can simply be defined as people traveling across borders to obtain or to give health care services. It is a combination of health treatment & tourism. Over 50 countries have identified medical tourism as a national industry. Services typically sought by travelers may include specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries. However, virtually every type of health care, including psychiatry, alternative treatments, convalescent care and even burial services are available. The reason Health tourism is gaining momentum include the high cost of health care, long waiting time, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in both technology and standards of care in many countries.Many surgery procedures performed overseas cost a fraction of the price they do in America. Health tourism providers have developed as intermediaries to unite potential medical tourists with provider hospitals and other organizations. They also provide assistance to patients with pre- and post-travel medical issues & resources for follow-up care upon the patient’s return.

Process

The person seeking medical treatment abroad needs to contact a medical tourism provider. Doctors then advise on the medical treatment, based on the reports sent by the patient.  After signing consent agreements, the patient is given recommendation letters for a medical visa. The patient travels to the destination country, where the medical tourism provider assigns a case executive, who takes care of the patient’s accommodation, treatment and any other form of care. Once the treatment is done, the patient can remain in the tourist destination or return home.

Heath tourism in India

India will with no doubt become the global health destination. It aims to replicate the Thai model, which is still the first Asian destination for International Patients. Indian private facilities offer advanced technology and high-quality procedures on par with hospitals in developed nations. Medical tourism to India is growing by 30% a year and the Indian education system is churning out an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 doctors and nurses each year. India’s diverse landforms & cultures offer peace to the visitors. Health packages, meditation courses & various yoga ashram courses are available for tourists visiting India. India offers a combination of various kinds of food, cultures, art forms, geographical patterns with reasonably priced health services. It is a well known fact that Indian cities provide health services at a much cheaper rate than those in US cities. Some of the Indian cities with the best health services are Bombay, Pondicherry, Goa, Chennai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. The health services provided by reputed hospital and health services include some of the leading institutions in India.

Many fatal illnesses have been known to be solved by ancient Indian medical methods. A large section of health treatments advised for visitors to India are the Ayurvedic treatments and therapies, who may choose to visit the Indian ashrams. Ashrams are run by specialist Ayurvedic priests and doctors who have mastered the ancient techniques.

Risks Involved

However, apart from the reasonable costs &natural beauty that come as a package with the Health tourism in India, it carries some risks that locally-provided medical care does not. Exposure to infectious diseases without having built up natural immunity can be a hazard for weakened individuals, specifically mosquito-transmitted diseases, influenza, and tuberculosis. Such diseases are perceived to be rare in the West. The quality of post-operative care can also vary dramatically, depending on the hospital and country. Also, health facilities treating medical tourists may lack an adequate complaints policy to deal appropriately and fairly with complaints made by dissatisfied patients.

Top Medical Tourism Companies in India

1. Mediescapes India – is India’s first medical tourism promotion company fully owned by Indians in co-operation by Indian Doctors / respective Indian Medical Specialists in India and promoting India Hospitals / India Clinics / India Health Care System. It offers both surgical as well as non-surgical treatment services to International Patients combined with post-discharge holidays in consultation with medical personnel.
2. Manipal Group – The Group started out primarily as an Education Company and has expanded rapidly into the Hospital Sector.It is mainly present in the southern part of India and has a number of hospital in the main cities on South India like Bangalore.
3. Fortis Group – This is one of the fastest growing hospital chains in India and has started expanding internationally as well.The Group has got a massive capital infusion from its promter group which sold off their stake in their pharma company to concentrate their energies on the hospital sector and financial services.
4. Appolo Hospitals – It has 8500 beds across 54 hospitals, and a significant presence at every touch-point of the medical value chain, Apollo Hospitals is one of Asia’s largest healthcare groups.Apollo Hospitals has JCI accreditations for 7 of its hospitals.
5.   Med India – Operating for the last five years, Med India provides low cost surgeries in weight issues, gastric bypass surgery and partial abdominoplasty. It is known as the best in Cosmetic surgery. Orthodontic braces and dental implants are available too.
6. Erco Travels – This is one of popular medical tourism in India, which organizes and conducts medical visits related to dental care, eye, cardiac and orthopedic treatments. Customers who are interested in plastic surgery and general health check in India are also invited here.
7. In India Med – aims at patients who come to India for medical care and surgery treatment based on the hips, joints, heart and also for cosmetic surgery. Quality service & accommodation is provided to the patients based on their orientation. It is therefore the most popular medical tourism in India in the recent times.
8. Sahaj Dental Clinic – located in Gurgaon, Haryana, the organisation is known for its dental care.