By News Room
– R.K. Sinha
The efforts that have been going on for the past few years to establish India as a hub of medical tourism are now showing pleasant results. Union Minister of State for Health Shripad Naik recently told in a program related to G-20 organized in Goa that last year 14 lakh foreign tourists came to India only for treatment. Obviously, these also include those who came with the patients. This figure itself proves that the trust in India’s medical facilities is increasing in the world.
This is just the beginning. India now has to cross many stages. You can visit any reputed hospital in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai etc. and see for yourself. There you will find many foreign patients and their relatives sitting. There is also a significant number of patients from African and Gulf countries. Patients are also coming to India from Oman, Iraq, Maldives, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Sudan etc. If India-Pakistan relations improve, then every year thousands of patients from across the border will start coming to us for treatment. Some serious patients still come.
It goes without saying that the country also gets valuable foreign exchange when these patients come to India. Whenever a patient comes to India, two-three assistants also come with him to take care of the patient. They stay in hotels for months. Most foreign patients come to India for treatment of heart disease, orthopedics, kidney, liver transplant, eye and burn injuries. Indians settled all over the world have now started coming here for treatment. Renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Anoop Dhir, associated with Apollo Hospital in the capital, says that every month some foreign patients come to him for treatment.
If the treatment continues to be cheap in our country too, then surely the country will be in a position to take a big leap in the field of medical tourism. India has highly qualified medical professionals and state-of-the-art equipment. Moreover, India offers less expensive treatment options than the US and UK without compromising on the quality of healthcare services. The cost of treatment in India is about a quarter of that in the US. If we tread carefully on this front, patients will start turning to India instead of countries like Thailand, Singapore, China and Japan for treatment. All these countries are trying to attract foreign patients towards themselves. Medical tourism is a billion dollar business annually. India will have to strengthen its grip on this. India has many possibilities in this field. In fact, now people from all over the world cross the borders of their countries for better treatment.
Due to the very low cost of treatment in India, availability of best medical techniques and equipment, foreign patients come here for treatment. They do not have to struggle much with the language problem here. Here English speakers are found everywhere. That is, India is the best place for patients from abroad. Before the arrival of Corona, the market of medical tourism in India was estimated to reach 9 billion dollars i.e. 68 thousand 400 crore rupees. But, Corona put a brake on it. Experts say that every year more than 1.25 crore people go to other countries for treatment.
Now we have to give a stronger impetus to medical tourism. We also have to rectify the many deficiencies in our medical field. Cases of medical negligence and misbehavior with patients and their relatives are increasing in some of our government and private hospitals. Treatment in private hospitals is also becoming increasingly expensive. Now, almost every other day there are reports of fights between doctors and relatives of patients in some hospital. Doctors have also started hiring private security personnel and bouncers for their safety. Needless to say, hearing news of fights between doctors and patients would make foreigners think ten times before coming to India for treatment.
In order to revive the medical tourism of the country, the Ministries of Health, External Affairs, Home and Tourism of the Central Government will have to take joint initiative. Along with providing immediate visa facility to foreign patients, there is a need to keep an eye on the hospitals here where they come for treatment. Foreign patients will also have to be protected from middlemen.
Along with this, a separate wing can also be started to treat foreign patients only in some big government hospitals. Foreign patients can also be treated in hospitals like AIIMS or Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) in Delhi. In return for treatment from them, money should be taken at the market rate. By taking such steps, these government hospitals will also be in a position to make themselves self-sufficient. Foreign patients will hardly find capable doctors like AIIMS and RML in the whole world.
If we talk apart from medical tourism, then there are immense possibilities of moving forward in the tourism sector of India. Everyone knows this. We have everything here. Here there are animals roaming in dense forests, sea coasts, mountains, rivers, temples, mosques, Buddha Viharas, churches. There can be no better and varied dishes than our country. Which true wanderer would not want to visit the India of Buddha and Gandhi.
The arrival of foreign tourists in India has to be increased at any cost. Tourists do not come to our country in proportion to the number of important tourist places we have here. There are innumerable important tourist places in India including Taj Mahal, Pink City Jaipur, Queen of Mountains Darjeeling, Area of Unlimited Water, Kanyakumari, Paradise on Earth Kashmir. Apart from these, there are many very important places associated with Lord Buddha in India. India has a rich ancient Buddhist heritage with many important sites associated with the life of the Buddhist. Why have we failed to attract Buddhist followers from all over the world despite being a Buddhist land. Indian Buddhist heritage is of great interest to followers of Buddhism across the world. Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar are among the major pilgrimage centers for the followers of Buddhism. Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana in Kushinagar.
Despite all this, the number of foreign tourists here does not even reach three crores annually. Of course, these are points to consider. Everyone has to think on this.
(The writer is senior editor, columnist and former parliamentarian.)
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