scholarly journals Prospects of Developing Medical Tourism in India

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73
Author(s):  
Binoy T A

Medical tourism is one of the recently developed and rapid growing tourism activities of the World, especially in India. "Medical Tourism can be generally defined as the movement of people for the purpose of getting cost effective personal health care in association with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical health care and other forms of dedicated treatment." Recent days several Indian state governments have realized the potential of medical tourism and have been actively promoting it Visitors, especially from the West and the Middle East find Indian hospitals a very affordable and viable option to grdppling with insurance and National medical systems in their native lands and combine their treatments with a visit to the 'exotic east' with their families.Quality medical treatment at low cost, coupled with great traveling experience is possibly the perfect way to recover from any medical ailment. An inexpensive vacation package combined with a low cost medical treatment has led to the evolution of a new but rapidly growing industry called medical tourism. This process is being facilitated by M1 the corporate sector concerned in heath care as well as the tourism industry including tour operators, hospital administrators, travel agents, airlines, hotels and government tourism organizations. Medical or health treatment package tourism has become a persistent form of engaging the vacation in a different way by inculcating leisure with treatment and covers a broad range of health, medical and dental services. Medical tourism is organized in such a manner that leisure time inculcate with enjoyment and recreation together with wellness and health care packages in a country other than the place of residence. Health and Medical Tourism is perceived as one of the fastest growing segments in marketing 'Destination India' today. The Ministry of Tourism, airlines, tour operators, insurance companies, tourism sector and healthcare providers can make India as a dream destination for medical Tourism through an orchestrated effort. Government and private organizations that are playing a vital role in the development of tourism in India should orchestrate their developmental efforts to take advantage of the enormous potential of Medical and Dental tourism through ensuring international standard treatment to the patients and envisage a coordinated marketing and promotional strategies enough to overcome the Asian competitors.

Author(s):  
Dr. Ruchi Garg ◽  
Rahul Batra ◽  
Anirudh Banerji

Background: Medical Tourism can be defined as the provision of cost effective private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment. India stands and leads in the field of medical tourism. This sector has grown rapidly in last few years and have been known by number of countries for its sudden advancement in the field of healthcare, although India is still competing with neighbouring countries which already have a good hold of this market. India offers trained workforce and culture diversity as well as experienced doctors who have names in the list of Padma-Shri awardees in honour of their excellence in the field of health. Methods: The study was conducted in a Super Speciality Hospital in Gurugram for two months, being retrospective and descriptive in nature. Secondary data was taken for the month of January 2018 to March2018 and data for Apriland May 2018 was recorded during the study, a group of 50 patients, selected randomly, were asked for their feedback to know the strengths of medical tourism as well as for the improvement in the hospital. Results: This paper focuses on the process of medical tourism followed in India and the flow of medical tourists traveling to India for their treatment from various countries as well the catchment areas of patient coming to a Super Speciality Hospital in Gurugram. Conclusions: The paper concludes the strengths of developing country like India which attracts a large number of medical tourists from various regions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bindi Varghese

Medical Tourism" is comparatively new in the vast ocean of travel & tourism industry. When we describe Medical Tourism in simple terms, it is a provision of 'cost effective' private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment. This process is being facilitated by the corporate sector involved in medical care as well as the tourism industry - both private and public. Unlike other countries, India is a safe place and people are known for their hospitality. It's the most touted healthcare destinations for .Medical or Health tourism has become a common form of vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical services. It mixes leisure, fun and relaxation together with wellness and healthcare.Medical tourism, a rapidly growing sector in the Indian market, which is now being actively, developed by both public and private sector tourism and healthcare organizations. Medical Tourism" diversifies different paradigms, which derive at a common perception - a specialized field of healthcare tourism in general. The technical concoction defines medical tourism as, "Travel from a normal place of residence to a destination at which medical or surgical treatment is provided or performed, and which involves more than one night away from the country of residence". Within this broad field, there are a growing number of specialized sectors of medical tourism, including surgical tourism, wellness and spa tourism, dental tourism and reproductive or fertility tourism. Medical Tourism in simple terms, it is a provision of 'cost effective' private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment. This process is being facilitated by the corporate sector involved in medical care as well as the tourism industry - both private and public. Medical tourism is gaining international significance, as more and more patients prefer their treatments abroad. In the developed countries the cost of the treatment and the surgery are far higher than those in the developing countries. So getting medical treatment abroad is economical for the patients without any compromise in the quality of treatment is one of the major concerns. Western patients are increasingly travelling to developing countries for health care and developing countries are increasingly offering their skills and facilities to paying foreign customers. This international trade in medical services has huge economic potential for developing countries and serious implications for health care across the globe.


2017 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Sukanya Banerjee ◽  
Siddhartha Sankar Nath ◽  
Nilanjan Dey ◽  
Hajime Eto

Medical tourism is related to the travel of patients from one country to another in order to obtain medical treatment in that country. There are several countries worldwide promoting medical tourism and attracting patients. Most of the developing nations attract the patients because of cost benefits whereas the developed nations attract patients who require complex surgeries or any kind of advanced medical treatment. The main aim of this research paper is to focus on the development of medical tourism industry, worldwide. Medical Tourism industry throughout the world is growing at a fast rate. It has huge potential for generating employment and earning large amount of foreign exchange. This will help in the country's overall economic development. Medical tourism incorporates multi-dimensional activity but basically it is a service industry. Hence, medical tourism is a vital revenue earning source especially for the developing nations. Hence, it can be said that it is a win situation for both the patients as well as the destination countries.


Author(s):  
Manimay Dev ◽  
Dinesh Kumar ◽  
Dharmendra Patel

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence hospitals’ selection by health-care insurers in India and to establish a hierarchical model representing the relationship among different factors and their influence on the entire scenario. Design/methodology/approach A survey with a set of questionnaires was conducted with different health-care insurer executives of reputed health insurance companies. The data has been gathered by using a five-point Likert scale. Their opinions were converted into a reachability matrix and an interpretive structural modeling was constructed. The final results obtained were verified by using fuzzy Matriced Impacts Croises-Multiplication Applique and Classement analysis. Findings The results suggested three key driving factors, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers accreditation of the hospital, purchasing power of people in the region and national and international recognition of the hospital among the eleven factors selected for the study. Research limitations/implications The research mainly focuses on the health insurance benefits provided by privately owned insurance companies and do not comment on any government’s mass health insurance scheme. Practical implications With a small proportion of people under the umbrella of health insurance in India, these factors will assist and expedite insurer’s effort to penetrate deep into rural and urban areas enhancing availability and escalating affordability. Originality/value This paper presents key factors responsible for better coordination between health-care systems and insurance companies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-83
Author(s):  
Karen M. McNamara

Abstract This article examines the experiences of Bangladeshi patients and their families as they travel transnationally within Asia for medical care. I explain how failures of biomedicine in Bangladesh feed into idealized expectations of care abroad. This medical imaginary is fueled by the hope that more expensive treatment in wealthier countries will result in better care, and it is sustained by the way the medical tourism industry operates and the way Bangladeshi patients and their families make choices and engage in the doing of care abroad. A detailed case study of a Bangladeshi cancer patient’s prolonged care in Singapore illustrates the tensions and ambivalences in the quest for the best treatment. These tensions are exacerbated by the linguistic, monetary, and emotional challenges faced in traveling back and forth between countries. While patients feel at times betrayed by experiences of care that do not meet their expectations, they also feel compelled to carry on. I capture this dynamic in the term rhythms of care, understanding these as the way the medical imaginary shapes care practices that become a scaffolding for hope to be maintained and further travel to be undertaken. I also reflect on how I become part of these rhythms by acting as the family’s interpreter as they navigate health care in Singapore.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haşim Çapar ◽  
Özgür Aslan

Introduction: Although many factors can affect the choice of destination in medical tourism, some factors are indispensable to medical tourists and medical tourism. The aim of this study was to analyze important factors affecting the selection of a destination by potential medical tourists. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted in Turkey, included a population of 1700 people and a sample size of 317 people selected through purposive sampling. Values were evaluated with a 95% confidence interval and 0.05 standard error. A value of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The medical tourism scale and a demographic information form were used in data collection. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and path analysis were used as statistical methods. Analyses were made using IBM SPSS-AMOS 25.0. Results: In this study, 56.5% of the participants were male and 43.5% were female. The factors affecting the selection of medical tourism destinations were determined to be, in order of importance, accessibility of health care service (X̄ = 4.68 ± 1.073), level of security and safety (X̄ = 4:57 ± 1.122), quality of health care service (X̄ = 4:39 ± 1.129), level of hygiene (X̄ = 4.16 ± 1.381), potential of savings-low cost (X̄ = 4.07 ± 1.447), and tourism opportunities (X̄ = 4.02 ± 1.540). Conclusion: It is thought that the current study will make a serious contribution to the field of medical tourism both in practice and in theory.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 82-86
Author(s):  
Neha Agarwal ◽  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Girish Gupta

In the year 2000, Millennium Declaration was signed by the world leaders to reduce the under-5 mortality rate by two-thirds from the baseline figure in 1990. Millennium Development Goal 4 was replaced by the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) in 2015. Reduction in the neonatal mortality, which accounts for majority of the deaths in children under the age of 5 years, was an imminent goal of SDG. Despite these initiatives, the current trends in neonatal mortality are far away from the expected targets. To curb the rate of neonatal mortality, the neonatal services are expanding in India at a rapid pace. To bridge the gap between the availability and accessibility to the health care technology between the developed and developing countries, the current focus is toward the development of low-cost and effective technological innovations in neonatal care and ensuring their patenting and effective publicity. This should facilitate the translation of innovations into mass production and availability for practice with significant effect in low- and middle-income countries. Generation of evidence will increase the acceptability of these innovations by demonstrating their benefit over the currently available technologies. Fortuitously, India has developed many innovations in the neonatal health care. However, majority of the neonatologists are still unaware of the existing technological solutions, and the ways to optimally utilize them. This review is, therefore, an attempt to recognize such low-cost, effective, and sustainable innovations done in the field of neonatology, over the past few decades.


2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Kamassi ◽  
Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf ◽  
Azura Omar

Purpose This paper aims to address and identify the major stakeholders in the medical tourism industry, based on their participation in medical tourism activities and their support for medical tourism development. Design/methodology/approach This paper systematically reviews the content of medical tourism studies from literature to identify key stakeholders and address the roles they play in the medical tourism industry. Findings This study shows that the key stakeholders in the medical tourism industry are eight, namely, medical tourists, health-care providers, government agencies, facilitators, accreditation and credentialing bodies, health-care marketers, insurance providers and infrastructure and facilities. These stakeholders strongly influence medical tourists’ decision-making process in seeking medical treatment abroad. Besides, a successful medical tourism development depends greatly on the excellent partnership between all stakeholders. Practical implications This paper sheds light on the crucial role of these stakeholders that can be an important consideration in medical tourists’ decision-making process and industry growth. The study can facilitate policymakers in designing and developing policies to improve medical tourism practices. Originality/value This paper expands the knowledge about medical tourism literature by identifying and explaining the significant role of each stakeholder in the industry. The results of this paper are quite revealing to all practitioners in terms of the potential strategies and medical tourism growth. The study establishes a foundation for future medical tourism research in the rapidly growing industry.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 12-24
Author(s):  
Nuraisyah Chua Abdullah ◽  
Herwina Rosnan ◽  
Norzayana Yusof

SME healthcare includes the number of beds and other healthcare facilities that are not inpatient-based. While there are over 70 Malaysian healthcare centres that attract foreign patients, only thirteen are internationally accredited. Analysis from literature found that Malaysian SME healthcare providers are not ready for accreditation which partially due to financial and human resource constraints. Future research is called to gain empirical data on understanding the readiness, challenges and strategies to be implemented. The article is prominent in assisting the SME healthcare providers’ behavioural change on the way towards accreditation for the growth of the medical tourism industry in Malaysia. Keywords: Medical Tourism; SME Healthcare; Accreditation; Readiness eISSN 2514-7528 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRAcE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) andcE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.21834/jabs.v4i12.326  


2017 ◽  
pp. 32-51
Author(s):  
Eunhee Sung ◽  
Wilson Ozuem

The combination of medical treatment and tourism seems to be a promising and relatively new type of niche tourism. The globalization of health care has given rise to a new form of tourism that is commonly known as health tourism. Within the health tourism arena, medical tourism is among the fastest growing sectors. It enables patients to quickly and conveniently travel to receive medical services at lower prices and of better quality than they could in their native countries. Yet analyses of medical tourism in developing, emerging markets are under developed, particularly in South Korea. As a response, this chapter examines the customer-perceived value of medical tourism, which deriving explicit factors that influence choice in relation to medical tourism.


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