Since the dawn of time man has been accosted with a specific fact which is as unchangeable because the shape of the earth; the proven fact that his body is fragile and even when proper care is taken of it, it is going to degenerate as a result of old age. So, with a purpose to steer clear of sickness, ailments and hence lengthen his life he has taken the services of sensible men or quacks (within the old days) and doctors (in the trendy times). But with the onset of contemporary technology, medical science improved greatly and latest methods of treating diseases and ailments got here up. Consequently, the local doctors became more capable of treat diseases and thus began charging accordingly. The fortunate could pay unlike the typical one that sometimes could and sometimes couldn’t; so eventually only the priviledged were capable of take full advantage of the progress of medical sciences.
This scenario began to vary within the 1980’s when healthcare tourists from the west began flocking to certain Latin American countries which offered inexpensive cosmetic, dental and other treatments. By the turn of twenty first century many more countries began to offer quality healthcare at a cheap cost and countries which lead the pack were India and the South East Asian nations of Thailand and Singapore. The major reasons which prompted healthcare tourists in search of medical treatment to return to those countries (especially India) were – A. the Quality of Doctors B. the Quality of Medical Infrastructure C. Success Rate D. the Lack of Language Barrier (English is the official language in India and Singapore) and E. the (economic) Cost. Countries with lower exchange rates, as in comparison with the patient’s home country, became attractive destinations since it effectively meant that the associated fee of medical treatment went down from anything between 30 % – 70 %.
Healthcare Tourists seeking to distant shores for quality and inexpensive medical treatment also got here from countries where there are long queues in front of clinics (of their local doctors) or there’s an absence of quality healthcare (of their home country). Procedures for which Healthcare Tourists normally head towards foreign shores are Traditional and Alternative Treatments (like Naturopathy, Aromatherapy, Ayurveda e.t.c.), Cardiac Surgeries, Orthopaedic Surgeries, Organ Transplantation, Cosmetic Surgery and Reproductive Treatments (like In Vitro Fertilization, Surrogacy e.t.c.).
The reason why healthcare tourists make a beeline, especially, to India is to make the most of traditional and alternative treatments like Ayurveda and Yoga (India is the birthplace of those methods of treatment), reproductive treatments, cardiac surgery and organ transplantation. Chennai, one among the most important metropolitan cities of India, is commonly called the Health Capital of South and South East Asia due to variety of quality hospitals and hence availability of beds in that city. The proven fact that Chennai could be very near the temple town and silk saree manufacturing centre of Kanchipuram and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of ‘Mahabalipuram Group of Monuments ‘ works in its favour as hospitals often club the medical stay of a patient with some sightseeing to those close by destinations. These packages are the best examples of Healthcare Tourism.
A recent report published by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and KPMG (one among the most important skilled services providing company on this planet) titled ‘Medical Value Travel’ has came upon that India together with Thailand and Singapore accounted for nearly 60 % of revenue earned by Asian countries through Healthcare Tourism. The study came upon that these countries combined the healthcare stay of a patient together with some sightseeing and promoted it as a package to lure patients.
In conclusion, Healthcare Tourism is a phenomenon which isn’t only here to remain but can also be going to be a giant source of foreign exchange for countries which could be providing these services. As long as healthcare providers make sure that they supply state-of-the-art treatment, superior services and keep it inexpensive at the identical time; their levels of success is simply going to extend in the approaching future.
