Cost Effective Dental Treatments In India Attract NRIs and Foreign Tourists

Punjab state is fast emerging as a major draw for international tourists and non-resident Indians seeking dental treatment. Many foreigners come to the State to undergo dental solution and related medical treatment.

Dental care hospitals here have latest dental equipment and facilities that are at par with or even better than medical standards available in the West. The relative inexpensiveness and easy availability of dentists has attracted several patients to India.

Medical Tourism ? The Road Ahead
Medical Tourism has become a serious enterprise in India over the last two years. However some hospitals have been practicing it for quite a few years.

A dental filling work, which costs about 300 to 400 dollars in the U.S or Europe, costs just 20 to 40 dollars in India. In case of CIS sealing of the root, which costs 3,000 in the Western countries, costs around 100 to 200 dollars in India. Dentures can cost 1,000 dollars overseas but it costs only 200 dollars in India.

Barbara is one such British tourist on a visit to India for her treatment. She is in Chandigarh to get a crown fixed on her tooth. It will cost her 100 dollars here. But the same treatment would have cost her 1,000 dollars in the U.K, not to forget the difficulty to get appointments before finally getting the treatment from the dentists there.

Barbara is getting medical treatment by Dr. Sumit Rajpal, a dentist in Chandigarh.

About Medical Tourism
Medical tourism can be broadly defined as provision of 'cost effective' private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment.

"For such complicated procedure, it is quite a long waiting list in England. Yes, to save time and money I have come to India. We are very impressed by the service here and the treatment is also very impressive," said Barbara.

Many dentists here have also started offering special packages that include the ways to meet treatment and at the same time providing guide to the patients about how to utilize their vacations in India.

Medical Tourism - Special Report
‘Medical Tourism’, the buzzword in the wellness sector is coming of age, albeit very slowly, without government support.

Dr.Sumit Pal, the dentist, said: "We are giving the same facilities, which are well accepted in countries like US, UK, and Canada. But there the cost is very high whereas here, we give the same crowns and provide facilities like surgery, dental implants and cosmetic dentistry. So, obviously the patient is interested in coming here and getting the treatment done, as well as visiting their own relatives here or for the tourism department.

The facilities and the cost are available on the websites, developed by individual practitioner.

Medical Tourism can Fetch Rs.100 bn Annually by 2012
Medical tourism has a potential of growing by a whopping 25 percent annually to fetch India Rs.100 billion ($2.15 billion) a year by 2012.

With such a major difference in cost of dental treatment, there is a virtual rush of medical tourists to India.

Source-ANI
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