Promotion of Medical Tourism in India: Apollo Hospital to Invest Rs. 150 Crore

India is soaring with high end medical skills and advance technology hospitals. According to Dr. Prathap Reddy, founder and chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, Medical tourism will enable a generation of Rs.12.40 lakh ($20,000) per patient against generation of Rs.1.24 lakh ($2,000 per person) from general tourism.

With growing technologies in diagnostics and surgical, India has the second to none skill sets in the world. Medical tourism promotion for India will gather more revenue that is required to improve growth in healthcare. At present, in India out of 8 million annual inflows of international tourists, 2 million are for medical tourism. People from Africa, Asian regions and the Middle East are accessing Indian hospitals for joint transplants, cardiac interventions, dental care and other medical facilities. There is also an increase expected in the number of UK and US patients.

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.

Apollo Group:

The hospital has announced its plans to invest Rs. 150 crore in Karnataka. By 2015, the number of beds will be increased to 1,000 from the present 850 beads. Apollo Hospitals has already invested Rs. 500 crore in setting up the existing three hospitals in the State.

By 2015, the group plans to establish another specialty hospital in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru. The new hospital will have 200 beds with over 50 specialties and super-specialties. The critical care unit will be 50-bedded and backed up by e-ICU services being the latest innovation in the healthcare sector. The novel facility will also offer a complete variety of diagnostic services including - 1.5T 18 channel MRI, 128-slice CT scan and a high-end 4D ultra-sonography. The emergency services will be 24X7 operational.

The Doctor Says:

Chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy of Apollo Group of Hospitals said, “Karnataka has been on top of the medical tourism map which is being extensively promoted by Apollo Hospitals. We have generated about Rs 100 crore in precious foreign exchange for the government. Our hope is that with newer facilities, we will not only be able to reach more patients in the State but attract more patients from Asian countries as well.”

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.

Source-Medindia

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