Medical tourism

[Guest july12pp]

Take a look at the healthcare programmes of European countries and that of the US. One common thing about their private healthcare system is that it is very expensive and causes a financial burden on the patient, if s/he is not insured. Such an expensive medical system has made them search for other options in the third-world countries like India. Here, the healthcare system is very cheap compared to that of Europe and America, and it resulted in an inflow of patients from abroad, searching for better medical facilities at lower cost, to India. The authorities have risen to the occasion and started promoting the healthcare system in order to attract foreigners. They invested more in the infrastructure facilities in the healthcare sector and promoted the sprouting up of super-specialty hospitals in various cities. All these measures encouraged the tourists to identify India as a medical destination.The treatments that they look forward to in India ranges from psychiatric consultations to complex surgeries such as cardiac surgery, knee replacement etc. They also express interest in alternative healthcare systems and medicines. Kerala Government too tried to tap the potential of the medical tourism, by highlighting the State as an Ayurveda destination. Many Ayurvedic resorts came up with variousayurvedic packages as part of the medical tourism and surely it was a successful venture, and it still has the potential to grow.

[Guest Waka Flocka Dave]

f*ck off