By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: India’s medical tourism sector, set to generate USD 2 billion, has evinced growing interest from patients from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries due to excellent treatment skills of Indian doctors and low cost.
India has positioned itself as an inexpensive destination for medical treatment compared with the US and Europe. Additionally, Indian private hospitals have a large pool of skilled doctors, nurses and supporting staff that attract medical tourists, especially from Middle East and South – East Asia.
The vast pool of medical professionals in India, almost 60 percent of them have international Medical degree and exposure.
Private hospitals in India have gone to the extent that they offer Halal food and prayer facility to the Muslim patients from Islamic countries and other parts of the world.
Every year, patients from over 120 countries come to India for cardiac ailments, joint replacements, spine surgery, cosmetic surgery, bariatric procedures, cochlear implants, oncology, organ transplants (kidney and liver) and several other procedures.
Shifa Medical tourism, an organised medical facilitator having presence in India, Canada and Jeddah helps patients to receive quality treatment at the best hospitals in India. It helps to find optimal doctor – hospital combination for the patients.
“There is zero waiting time when they arrive, logistics support including visa and airport facilitation, and special personalised attention by doctors makes it a comfortable stay for our international patients,” said Iqbal Yusuf, of Shifa Medical tourism.
A separate study by ASSOCHAM reported that the year 2011 saw 850,000 medical tourists in India and projected that by 2015 this number would rise to 3,200,000.
“State of the art equipment and top class doctors coupled with low-cost treatments are the factors weighing in India’s favour to attract foreign patients, said Ziaulla Nomani, Indian representative of Shifa Medical Tourism.
He further said that the number of patients visiting India from GCC region growing at a rapid pace. In the last few years we have seen a remarkable increase from UAE, Saudi Arabia. Qatar and Oman and the numbers are only increasing on yearly basis.