Wockhardt Hospitals Blog

A recent article in Hindustan times,points to the fact that " Medical Tourism in India has actually not slowed down in spite of the downcast economic weakness across the world.

"California resident Barbara Pastal, 47, had been trimming her household expenditure for months to save up for a hip replacement surgery when her husband’s firm cut his pay by 30 per cent in February.

It meant she would have to wait longer to save the $21,000 (Rs 8.5 lakh) that the procedure costs in the US.

“A friend recommended I go to India for the surgery. One of her family members had had a good experience here,” said Pastal, who arrived in India last week and underwent the surgery at a Mumbai clinic. “It’s much cheaper and there is no waiting.”

Pastal said she paid Rs 3.5 lakh for the airfare and hospital expenses, less than half of what the surgery would have cost her at home.

The economic downturn in the West is turning out to be a boon for India’s healthcare sector as many middle-income people look for ways to save amid pay cuts and layoffs.

Medical tourism is not new, but recession has accelerated the trend and more patients seem to be convinced that the quality standards in India can be comparable to any Hospitals across the world.

The Wockhardt group of hospitals,with a tie up with Harvard Medical International, and accredited by Joint Commision International (JCI ),has seen a 40 per cent increase in International patients in 2008-09 as compared to 2007-08, according to Vishal Bali, chief executive officer of Wockhardt Hospitals

According to data released by Deloitte ,around 4.5 lakhs medical travelers visit India to get treated in 08-09. Deloitte pegs the industry growth rate to be around 38%. Presently the bulk of medical tourism centers revolves around,India, Thailand,Singapore,Malaysia,Mexico,Costa Rica along with Indonesia,Turkey and Poland.

With more US companies cutting back on Health Benefits,medical tourism has become a viable option for US patients since it not only helps them to save money when they come down to India ,but also they have access to a world class clinical experts in the form of knowledgeable,western educated,English speaking healthcare staff in an environment that is friendly and medically well advanced in terms of infrastructure.