Health Tourism

Last when I came across the word, I reluctantly brushed it aside! But after the phrase is consistently coming into the court, and at the time when we are readily embracing the concept, ``health tourism`` is fast hiving up in India. Lets down pat the concept of health tourism.

Health Tourism entails traveling to other cities and countries in order to avail better treatment facilities and privileges. As health care is increasingly becoming expensive and tiresome with involvement of insurance, long ques and so forth, India is picking up fast on the medical/ health care tourism. Identifying the lacuna in the medical processes of the west and reinstating the procedures with corrective measures and easy medical access, India is fast emerging as a thriving destination on the global map. Right from the pharmaceutical industry to hospitals, from alternative therapies like Ayurveda and acupuncture to loosely structured health program, from doctors to nurses to more easily affordable medical services, the health industry is a flourishing and, more significantly, represents a part of national economy. Today, a country like India is caching up fast, and also ideally poised to benefit greatly from the health related tourism. Reportedly, every year, India receives 1,50,000 medical tourists who avail world class heath care at a fraction of cost.

While health is billion buck industry in India, the good news is that it is also leading from front in the medical tourism. According to the recent research data, India is giving tough competition to Thailand, a once close competitor to India, in the . There are various reasons that add up to India's being the most-preferred choice of health tourism. First and foremost is that India's a anglophone country and English is a standard, widely spoken language, which implies no language bar for the outpatients. Second, the medical infrastructure and technology is at par with those in the USA, UK and European nations. At present time and age, India owns some of the worlds largest and sophisticated chain of hospitals, such as Fortis, Apollo Group of Hospitals, Vellore CMC et al. India offers a wide range of elective procedures as well as complex services such as joint replacement, cardiac surgery, dental surgery and cosmetic surgeries at a minimal cost as compared to the lead drawers of the medical tourism such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico and Turkey.

Besides, one of the major proponents of medical tourism in India is Yoga and Ayurveda – the holistic healer. Every year tourists flock to India to seek and benefit from this scientific discipline. Being one of the main features of tourist attraction down south, many Ayurvedic centers in Southern India cater to the global tourists through the senescent therapeutic discipline. Marketing Ayurveda as part of the 'health tourism' has brought a new definition to vacationing in India itself. Medical treatment combined with leisure activities, fun and fitness. India has originated as one of the most important hubs for medical tourism. The medical tourism market in India is expected to grow to $2 billion a year by 2012-13.