Scope of Medical Tourism in India

As we know, due to land & water bodies, geographical and cultural diversities, and rich historical & Natural heritage site, India is considered one of the most remarkable tourist destinations in the world.

Hospitality attracts tourists the most as reflected in the slogan "Attithi Devo Bhava"

Honoring this slogan India is equivalently popular for its Medical tourism as it is for cultural & Natural tourism. India has made a unique spot in medical tourism with world-class healthcare facilities.

Medical Tourism according to the Ministry of Tourism is a term used to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across international borders to seek healthcare services. services typically sought by travelers include elective procedures as well as complex surgeries, etc.

Medical tourism seems to be the latest trend to hear but we know that medical travelers from ancient times used to travel to different parts of the world in search of the best medical services.

Even the concept of Medical Tourism is considered as old as the term Medicine itself.

India scoping Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Naturopathy, Siddha, Homeopathy and many others extend a wide potential to generate Medical Tourists towards itself.

Records show that most Ancient civilizations carried out Mineral Thermal Springs, sacred temple baths, and many more.

After the collapse of Roman Civilization Asia emerged as a healing center for medical tourism.

The accounts of foreign travelers also show that free treatment was given to foreign tourists in India.

In 2006 the Government of India took measures to establish National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH).- Its major role is to provide accreditation to hospitals.

The market size of Medical Tourism:-

• It was estimated to be around 44.8 billion dollars, but due to the COVID pandemic & strict lockdown medical tourism was affected significantly.

• The Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of medical tourism is expected to expand to about 32.51%.

• According to the estimations given by the World Economic Forum, it shows that India ranked 34th in the world out of 140 countries in the world travel and tourism competitiveness Index.

• India's medical tourism sector in 2020 was estimated to be worth 5.6 billion dollars. AYUSH Visas could push that number up.

• And even it is estimated that more than 40% growth is expected in foreign tourists' arrival.

Factors during Medical Tourism in India:-

• To establish its credibility as a medical tourism destination, a country has to prove its skills in a world-class healthcare ecosystem and medical procedures.

• India has state-of-art healthcare facilities along with strong healthcare infrastructure to treat complicated cardiac, orthopedic, etc.

• To have complex Medical procedures it has the latest technologies and post-operative care. Even, pharmaceuticals, Diagnostic, Medical Devices, and Medical R&D are all made available and are also enhanced by Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) models.

• With a value of $11 billion, India is Asia's 4th largest market for medical devices & is expected to reach $50 billion by 2025.

• Affordable, improved healthcare, superior hospitality, individualized care, fluent English, and skilled doctors help India to achieve high growth in medical tourism.

Wellness Quotient is necessary to establish India as a global attraction in medical tourism.

Wellness means physical health as well as the emotional, spiritual, and mental level of health of an individual.

Chennai is also declared the Healthcare Capital of India as almost 45% of cases of Medical tourism coming in India go to Chennai

According to Global Wellness Tourism- India stands in 7th position among the leading 20 wellness tourism markets.

Going beyond just Medical Tourism India is aiming at Medical value Tourism which aims at blending the richness of Indian hospitality with-

• Indian Culture

• Indian Food

• Environment

Despite these strengths and new developments, we find some issues in medical tourism in India.

1. Yet, lack of awareness about (MVT)

2. There is a lack of uniform pricing for hospitals.

3. Many times they are even exploited by tourists, middlemen, or travel agents, due to which the chances of worsening the reputation of India decrease.

4. India faces a lot of regional competition as well.

Steps taken by the Government of India to enhance Medical Tourism in India:-

• The government of India is trying to increase JCI-accredited hospitals, to promote MVT the Government of India is now including Medical visas on the e-tourists visa regime.

• The HEAL India initiative is launched to increase India's values.

• National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical Tourism launched by Ministry of Tourism.