Medical Tourism

India ranks 10th in Medical Tourism Index (MTI) for 2020-2021 out of 46 destinations worldwide.

The Ministry of Tourism developed a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism in 2022 to improve medical tourism in the country.
Foreign Tourists’ Arrival for medical purposes increased from 1.83 lakh in 2020 to 3.04 lakh in 2021.

About
- The practice of travelling to another location to receive medical treatment or to improve one’s health.
- As well as well-being is referred to as medical and wellness tourism.
- As people become increasingly interested in alternative healthcare options and seek high-quality medical care at a lesser cost.
- These sorts of tourism are becoming more popular.

Overview
- India’s healthcare industry offers a combination of modern and traditional forms of medicine, which sets the country apart.
- Firstly, it has a set of world-class doctors and hospitals that provide treatment at fractional rates compared to other countries.
- Secondly, India’s systems of medicine: AYUSH, i.e., Ayurveda, Yoga, Panchakarma, Rejuvenation Treatment, etc.
- They are the most ancient forms of medicine and are now gaining immense popularity globally.
- The government has also recently announced plans to launch an AYUSH Mark.
- It will provide credibility to AYUSH products in India while promoting its medical tourism sector.

One of India’s critical issues is promoting and raising awareness about cutting-edge facilities.
India faces tremendous competition from locations like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, and South Korea with low-cost options.
In India, there is a lack of cohesiveness amongst the big players in the sector to come together and represent India on a world platform to win newer clients.
Aside from that, there is an inconsistency in cost structure and a lack of transparency in invoicing overseas patients.
In addition, some issues are huge margins to trade to refer patients.
Foreign patients are similarly distrustful of most Indian hospitals.
The hospitals have observed the following;
- Poor hygiene awareness among medical attendants
- Unhygienic food handling
- Lack of good hospitality services
- Heterogeneous pricing of services and industry standards.

Heal India Initiative
- Heal in India is a new programme launched under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Plan.
- It would provide healthcare experts and hospital services to patients seeking medical attention in India.
- The government intends to promote medical tourism in India through the Heal in India Portal with this type of project.
- Another programme run by the Indian government called Heal attempts to encourage Indian healthcare workers to travel overseas and treat patients worldwide.
Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme
- The Ministry of Tourism has also expanded its MDA scheme to include accredited wellness centres and wellness tourism service providers.
- The MDA scheme provides financial support to qualified tourism service providers.
Medical Visa provisions
- Particular arrangements have been created for travellers visiting India for medical reasons.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs has created a new visa category, Medical Visa, for foreigners visiting India for medical purposes.

Patients spend most of their time in guest houses, where they are vulnerable to additional illnesses.
As a result, suitable infrastructure and standardisation must be introduced into the tourism industry and the nexus of guest house service providers as soon as possible.
Another area that should be explored is the possibility of selling Indian health insurance to foreigners.
This might result in an extra $9 billion in patient inflow to India.

Pic Courtesy: Forbes

Content Source: PIB