MEDICAL TOURISM: A CHANGING BUSINESS SCENARIO FOR INDIA

Rahul Pratap Singh KauravDr. Monika Prakash

Dr. Harman Preet Singh

Medical Tourism: Concept and Definition

The concept of medical tourism is not a new? The first recorded instance of medical tourism dates thousands of years back when Greek pilgrims travelled from all over the Mediterranean to the small territory in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria.

Medical tourism, alternatively known as medical travel or health tourism is a term that has risen from the rapid growth of a medical industry. People all around the world travel to other countries to obtain medical treatment for dental, eye, heart care, IVF treatment, orthopedic and surgical care etc.

People all around the world travel to other countries to obtain medical treatment for dental, eye, heart care, IVF treatment, orthopedic and surgical care etc.

Medical Tourism: Concept and Definition (Contd...)

According to Wikipedia (2011), Medical tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care.

With India rapidly becoming a global healthcare destination, the revolution will not be restricted to exclusive hospitals, as a range of alternative healthcare services providers like Ayurvedic, Naturopathic, Homeopathic, and Yogic establishments will too be benefited from this big wave.

The System of Medical Tourism

Figure 1: Context and Business Model of Medical Tourism

Position of Medical Tourism in India According to the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), India is

unique as it offers holistic medicinal services. With Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Allopathy and other systems of medicines, India offers a unique basket of services to an individual.

India is self sufficient in drug production and exports drugs to more than 180 countries; as India has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world.

India has top-notch centers for open-heart surgery, pediatric heart surgery, hip and knee replacement, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, bone marrow transplants and cancer therapy.

Some Indian medical centers even provide services that are uncommon elsewhere.

Position of Medical Tourism in India (Contd….)

S.No. Name of Hospital1. Apollo Hospitals, Delhi and Chennai2. Aravind Eye Hospitals3. B.M. Birla Herat Research Centre4. Christian Medical College, Vellore5. Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre, New Delhi6. Leelavati Hospital, Mumbai7. Sankara Netralaya, Chennai8. Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Mumbai Table 1: Corporate Hospitals Leading Medical Tourism in India

Position of Medical Tourism in India (Contd….)Treatment Wellness Rehabilitation

Elective surgery Spas Counseling servicesCosmetic surgery Nature tourism Addiction programsJoint replacement Eco tourism Elderly care programsEye surgery ResortsDiagnostic services Herbal treatmentCancer treatmentHip replacement & surfacing

Table 2: Products Sold under Banner of Medical Tourism in India

Promotion of Medical Tourism

Cost effectiveness, attractions of tourism facilities, exotica of the countries involved in the packaging of health care.

Traditional therapies and treatment methods are the unique selling points of the medical tourism industry.

Price advantage is a major selling point. (one-tenth or one-sixteenth in comparison of west.

E-marketing of medical tourism services can help the medical tourism firm to reach the customer directly bypassing the middlemen.

Promotion of Medical Tourism (Contd…)

Patient marketing, such as with an informative website, transparent pricing schemes or advertising placements.

Hospitals that are successfully attracting foreign patients enlarge their geographical footprints with representative offices or agencies in other countries.

Participating in different events also facilitates such relationships. For instance, trade shows, exhibitions or training seminars allow healthcare providers to share their medical expertise.

Medical Tourism: Trends and Prospects

As per TRAM (2006) report on medical tourism, some of the key trends include:› Growing governmental intervention› Growing international private sector investment

and joint ventures› Increasing supply of medical tourism products

leading to greater competition› Increasing role for tourism suppliers in

packaging and marketing of medical tourism› Growing ethical concerns about medical tourism

which may limit growth in some regions

Medical Tourism: Trends and Prospects (Contd…)

S.No.

Area Description

1. Team work The government, healthcare and travel industry has to work together.

2. Improve quality standards

Hospitals in India should benchmark themselves for international quality accreditation standards.

3. Provide fast legal remedies

Legal redressal must be a routine affair, while in India, it is considered unethical. A mechanism already exists to deal with medical insurance related cases but the redressal is very time consuming.

Table 3: Areas Required Improvement in Medical Tourism to Make India a Global Healthcare Destination

The Anti-Medical Tourism Tirade

Promoting medical tourism will be inviting diseases including deadly and contagious ones that have had no presence in the destination.

Many NGOs advocate against the promotion of medical tourism to the third world countries because the available medical infrastructure in these countries falls far short of meeting the extant domestic demand itself.

There are also moderate critics of medical tourism who warn that:› Travelling patients put themselves at risk. › If complications arise, patients might not be covered by

insurance.

Business and Job Opportunities

S.No. Opportunities

Details

1. Hospitals with Travel Desk

Hospitals that want to sell medical tourism services should have a dedicated travel desk in the hospitals. It shall coordinate the in-house services as well as services provided by other players like local tour operators. It can also think of providing services like ticketing, visa-extension assistance, foreign exchange etc.

2. Trainers for Staff

Medical tourists expect top-class hospitality from the service staff. Providing customer relationship training inputs for doctors, nurses, technicians and hospital front office staff is vital in this regard. The trainers have to first identify the factors that generate patient satisfaction and loyalty and corresponding behaviors of the service staff. Then suitable employee training programs and management development programs can be designed, developed and delivered. Table 4: Opportunities in Medical Tourism

Business and Job Opportunities (contd…)

3. Consultants of Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is a sector where many problems are not well defined and answers not readily available. Therefore some trouble-shooter consultants are required. The consultants should have creative insights and academic training with ample exposure to the industry.

4. Starting of Rejuvenation Centres

India is known worldwide as a seat of learning in a range of alternative therapies. So, there exists abundant scope in promoting them. Ayurvedic health centres spread across the country are among the first to capitalize upon this unmet demand as it requires relatively less expenditure to start an alternative health centre for Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Yunani, Siddha etc.

Table 4: Opportunities in Medical Tourism

Conclusion for Futuristic Research India's healthcare industry is already growing at

30% annually. Patients especially from the United States and European countries are now keenly looking towards India.

With the growth of business, competition is also growing. India has competition from countries like Thailand, Singapore and other Asian countries.

Medical tourism presents an opportunity for hospitals to fuel growth by tapping the potential of the international patient market.

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