Growth and Opportunity of Medical Tourism in the Indian Healthcare Sector: A Critical Review

1. Introduction

The term “medical tourism” describes the practice of visiting other nations to get medical facilities. It also describes the practice of medical service professionals traveling the world to give top-notch medical facilities. The travelers are seeking both straightforward and intricate specialist surgeries, such as dental work, joint replacement (hip/knee), cosmetic procedures, and cardiac surgery. These days, all forms of healthcare are offered, including complementary and alternative therapies, psychotherapy, convalescent care, and even funeral services. The majority of the time, informal channels of communication connection contracts are established between service providers and clients. According to Shanmugam (2013), India began promoting medical tourism after a study revealed the enormous potential of this industry. The government's large-scale, low-budget marketing effort to draw tourists, “Incredible India,” was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the same year. The next year, Jaswant Singh, the finance minister at the time, pushed for the development of airport infrastructure to facilitate the entry and exit of medical tourists and demanded that the nation become a “global health destination.”

Figure 1.

India's medical tourism industry structure

Source: (Dawn, 2011)

• •

  Wellness tourism: Spas, Stress relief, rejuvenation centres

• •

  Alternative systems of medicine: Ayurvedics, Siddha treatment for diseases e.g. Arthritis, Rheumatism

• •

  Cosmetic surgery: Dental Care, Plastic Surgery, Breast enhancement, Tummy reduction, Skin Treatment

• •

  Advanced and life savings healthcare: Open transplants, cardio vascular surgery, Eye treatment, Hip Replacement, In vitrio fertilization