Health Tourism in Goa

Health care
Posted on 2009-01-26
is one of the most stable businesses all over the world. The growth is steady and progressive. The global melt down will not kill the business though there would be a small slump in procedures which are cosmetic and not life saving.
Indian healthcare industry has come a long way from the days of independence till today. It has come to the stay where it is recognised as good or even better than the healthcare in most of the developed countries. The growth has been phenomenal both in diagnostics and treatment aspects. The surgical skills of Indian doctors have been accepted and appreciated all over the world, which is indicated from the scores of people coming from outside India into our country especially for surgical procedures.
Average 150,000 medical tourists visit India a year. Apollo group in its various hospitals treat average 95,000 health tourists per year, 10% of its patients in top hospitals in Mumbai anytime will be of foreign origin. Escorts Hospital is another group, which has been aiming for a lot of health tourists. The total health tourism business as assessed by McKinsey and CII is expected to be 1 billion US dollars by 2012.
This gives an indication of what the health tourism can contribute to the nation’s financial growth. And this whole growth will happen from the private and corporate sectors and not from the public hospitals. Here lies the responsibility of our government in encouraging this sector to develop and grow. They have a big potential to boost tourism in the country leading to a large boom to our exchequer. At present most of this health tourism come from South East Asia, Africa, and middle East. The prominent European country, which feeds the health tourism, is England. In developed countries presently there is a trend for decreased public spending in health and increased life expectancy and non-communicable diseases that require specialised treatments.
There are few factors that are responsible for the development of health tourism in our country. Firstly, it is the ability of Indian doctor to go abroad and get qualified in foreign degrees, secondly their dedication and ability to deliver humane medicine persistently. Our nursing is also quite upto the mark but the major factor has been the technological revolution, which has been appreciated the most. Factors like accreditation and standardisation will follow the need. But the most important factor is the cost, it is like saying “First World Treatment and Care at Third World Price”.
Unfortunately this year has been a poorer year for the tourism and in small extent to health tourism. The Indian Ayurveda has played a big role especially in the wellness feeling of the tourists. Kerala has contributed in a big way to the tourism introducing Ayurveda and Ayurvedic massages and other wellness programmes.
The factors that will boost tourism are the same factors, which need to be improved to boost health tourism. Good roads, good communication facilities, good infrastructure, standardisation of the transport system, especially the Indian and Goan taxis, besides clean cities without evils of sewage problems are the basic requirements that will boost health tourism in India and especially Goa. Starting a new advanced airport will boost the tourism and health tourism in Goa.
On the medical front, we need to improve our infrastructure, standardisation, accreditation and get ourselves more organised. The committed government machinery is what we need to give a boost to the health tourism in Goa. It has a potential to improve the economic status of the whole state. The business is there we only need to tap and plug it in. For this a systematic and organised approach and a definite will to do, is all that we need – otherwise grapes may be sour for us.