Wockhardt Hospitals Blog

An US Pastor from Norwalk,Connecticut, shares his experience at our Mulund Facility at Mumbai,Wockhardt Hospitals.

I had hip resurfacing surgery at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai .My surgeon there was Dr. Malhan. What a great doctor. I am so happy with the treatment and the nurses and the hospital and the outcome of my surgery.

I am probably your greatest fan and advertisement. I get calls and emails and people asking me how it went all the time. Just this week, I did a radio interview, and also I did a "testimonial" this evening for some new company just starting up trying to send Americans overseas for Medical treatment.

It just hit me that I should probably become an agent for you guys, setting up some websites, and getting on the phone, helping patients who need your services, but don't know what to do, and who to trust. I am not a medical doctor, nor am I in that field. Rather, I am a very respected, satisfied customer. There is no greater advertisement in the world.

It is quite a scary thing for an American to send several thousand dollars to an overseas medical facility. When I had my surgery, the most frightful moment was when I sent the check to pay the bill in advance. It sure helped knowing the people I was dealing with here in the US.

The people that helped me were from Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina. IndUSHealth. They walked me through every step of the process. They helped me get the x-rays, the doctors here, and the doctor over there. They helped me with the "business" of traveling overseas: visa, passport, cell phone, airfare, etc. Etc. It really was quite daunting for someone who never had traveled much before. They held my hand and made me feel confident.

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.