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By Shabnam Minwalla
With the trickle of international patients coming
to the country for treatment, 'medical tourism' is becoming a trend.
So, while our hospitals are accustomed to Bangladeshis,
Sri Lankans and residents of West Asian countries, they are suddenly
noticing a new breed of patients - the American secretary who has
found that a chin implant in Khar makes financial sense; or the
Britisher who, frustrated by interminable National Health Service
(NHS) queues, realises that a cataract operation in Madras is a
viable option.
As far as the Indian healthcare industry is concerned,
the future certainly holds dollar-filled promises. Already, British
politicians have suggested that NHS patients be sent to India for
cataract and hip-replacement surgeries, while it is entirely possible
that insurance giants will soon funnel patients to India for, says,
bypass operations or organ transplants.
"India can certainly become the healthcare
destination of the world," says George Eapen, CEO, Apollo Hospitals,
adding that his group is actively targeting the Africa, SAARC and
West Asia market. "We have two great advantages-highly skilled
manpower and substantially lower cost of treatment." Concurs
Dr Malpani, "At the moment, individual doctors attract
patients through their websites or because of their reputation.
But a little coordination at the national level could make a big
difference." Dr Malpani tackles at least four queries
a week from outside the country - and usually one out of these eventually
lands up in his Mumbai clinic. Similarly, Dr Sharma estimates that
about ten percent of his clients come from as far afield as the
U.S., Argentina and South Africa - a statistic which might well
double by the end of the year. The Apollo Hospitals, too, have found
themselves catering to a fair number of Americans on the lookout
for remodelled noses and Britishers who need new hips.
Most doctors first noticed this phenomenon about
three years ago when numerous NRIs decided to use their holidays
to get in touch with both their roots and root-canals. "Until
about ten years ago, we were lagging far behind our Western counterparts,"
explains Dr Bhatia, adding that today, this gap has largely been
bridged.
"The NRIs who visited us began to tell their
friends and word spread." More than anything else, however,
the Internet has made a difference. "Our technology is only
six months behind that of the West," explains Dr. Hrishikesh
Pai, an infertility specialist. "The Internet has given us
a chance to convey this to the world." Concurs Dr Bhatia, "one
of my dentist friends recently put up a website, and within months
three patients had come from the UK for teeth implants." Clearly,
the money saved is worth the hassle of the trip and treatment in
an alien land. An in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycle in the U.S.
costs$6,000 as opposed to $1,200 in India. Similarly, getting a
nose reshaped in Argentina costs $4,000- five times the going rate
in Mumbai, while Lasik surgery in India saves the average Westerner
at least $1,500 per eye. Given these figures, why aren't more patients
stampeding into our hospitals and nursing homes? Part of the problem
is India's image - which fills potential patients with trepidation
and doubts about hospital hygiene and disposable syringes.
"Once we dispel negative ideas about India,
we will see a large flow of patients," says Dr Pai, adding
that our infrastructure and levels of cleanliness hardly help matters.
"We have always had the skills and expertise, and now even
our hospital facilities are improving."
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