Wockhardt Hospitals Blog

According to "Josep Woodman" well known medical tourism expert who has recently written a book on Medical Tourism" called "patient beyond borders" JCI (Joint Commission International ) accredited public and private hospitals around the world has increased by nearly 1,000 percent. Up from a mere 27 hospitals and health care organizations with that accreditation in 2004 to 250 Healthcare Institutions in 2009 . As of now over 250 such entities in 36 countries have now been accredited by the JCI. This extremely high standard of “American accreditation” now instills a new level of confidence in US citizens seeking affordable health care alternatives abroad.

In an interview to travel talk radio, Woodman emphasized that Medical travel has come as a viable alternative for Americans amidst the spiralling healthcare cost.

Explaining how medical tourism has now evolved into a trend,Woodman claims that these are the same accreditation agencies that accredit the best hospitals in this country: Harvard, JohnsHopkins, Mayo Clinic, Duke Medical Center. This has now allowed other hospitals to participate, as long as they can show that they are up to exactly the same standards that are demanded over at an American hospital. So, that gives Americans a huge amount of comfort that these hospitals have got kind of a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for their hospitals as well, whether it’s in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or Singapore, or Bangkok or India

India is only second after Thailand in terms of the most favored medical tourism destination in the world.For a country that spends 1.2% of GDP on healthcare needs and has approximately 143 doctors for every 10,000 people as compared to USA's 234 doctors per 10,000 people that is by all means quite an achievement.

However the difference between India and Thailand is almost three fold. While India was home to 450,000 medical travelers across the globe ,Thailand treated 12 lakh patients globally.

This is according to a study by Deloitte Consulting,which also talks about the emerging trends of India getting more medical visitors from US and UK. Earlier most medical travelers included patients from Middle east,West Asia, and the Asian Subcontinent

Cheaper treatment is a huge attraction and, during recession, that's a big fact and often more cost effective for Westerners. But other factors, too, have contributed to the growth of medical tourism in India. "Indian clinical and paramedical talent is globally appreciated and with JCI accreditation of some hospitals, international standard is proven. Third-party intervention through health insurance has also given it a boost," said Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt Group of Hospitals.

"Thailand, which revolutionized medical tourism, is more into cosmetic surgery; India focuses on cardiac, neurological or orthopaedic problems," Bali said.