India’s Tourism Minister moots a dedicated body to promote Medical Tourism

The $3 billion industry, which is growing at a rate of 30%, provides India a 10-year lead over China, say experts The Dollar Business Bureau

India's share in the global medical tourism industry is expected to reach around 18% by 2019

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, India’s Minister of State for Tourism, has said that there is a need to have a dedicated body to boost medical tourism in the country due to its high growth potential. “No other sector is growing at a rate of 30%,” he said at the 11th India Health Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi this week. Dr. Sharma also said that medical tourism as a sector will be propagated and promoted in all Indian tourism directorates and other fora. The government is also looking at new markets such as Russia to promote India’s medical tourism. Dr. Sharma added that the government has started providing medical visa on Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in SAARC countries and has assured this would soon be extended to other countries. He also said that the cleanliness drive initiated by the government will help medical tourism as well. The minister said, “It is important to be aware of the image we are building on the world stage and only efforts by all stakeholders would ensure that the image is a positive one and for this every satisfied medical tourist is a great ambassador for India back home.” Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman, CII National Committee on Healthcare and Chairman & Managing Director, Medanta-The Medicity, said that medical tourism is a sector which India can lead and provides an exceptional opportunity for both healthcare providers and tourism. “Contrary to other sectors, this is one area where India has a 10-year advantage over China,” he said. Dr. Trehan urged the government to streamline the process of medical tourism visas and impress upon the diplomatic missions to be more sensitive and accommodative in this regard. The medical tourism industry in India is estimated at about $3 billion, with per year tourist arrivals of 230,000 in FY2013-14, as per Punjab Haryana Delhi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The health sector in India is both modern and price-competitive, two main reasons behind the growth of the industry. However, experts have said that it could grow higher with dedicated efforts. A recently published report by The Dollar Business highlights that medical tourism is yet to be brought under a clearly defined segment and there is also a lack details of tourists coming to India under this category. Industry sources also claim the industry is expected to reach $6 billion by 2018, with the number of people arriving in the country for medical treatment set to double over the next four years. The global medical tourism industry is also expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 18% between 2013 and 2019 to reach $32.5 billion, according to a KPMG-FICCI analysis.

This article was published on December 20, 2014.

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The Dollar Business Bureau - Dec 20, 2014 06:14 IST

India’s Tourism Minister moots a dedicated body to promote Medical Tourism

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