Topic: Medical Tourism and the growth of health care sector in India

Introduction
 Medical Tourism
Medical Tourism: World Overview
It is estimated that 11 million people travel annually to seek medical care out of their
country, which is around 1 per cent of the global tourist volume. Medical tourism is today a
$30 billion industry, having grown at an impressive rate of more than 15 per cent over the
last decade.
The top global medical tourism destinations include Thailand, Mexico, USA, Singapore,
Malaysia, Brazil, Turkey, Taiwan, Costa Rica and India. Studies have shown that medical
travelers seek treatments largely related to cosmetic surgery, cardio vascular, orthopedics,
cancer, dentistry, reproduction, weight loss, health screenings, transplant, ophthalmology,
wellness and alternative medicine.

Medical Tourism in India

Medical tourism industry in India has been emerged as a multi-billion dollar industry and
every year millions of patients from different countries travel to India to avail the state of
art medical facilities and to enjoy the rich cultural heritage of the country. Globalization and
liberalization of trade has led to the amalgamation of societies and economics all over the
world leading to social, economic, technological, political and cultural interchanges.
Clinically excellent, well-qualified and experienced healthcare professionals in Indian
hospitals have achieved the trust of the medical. India has turned out to be one of the
favorite destinations for the patients who want to undertake cost effective medical care for
various medical problems and who have infuriated from the long waiting lists for medical
and diagnostic procedures in their home country.
Conventionally patients from underdeveloped or developing countries used to travel to the
developed countries for availing medical treatment and seeking surgical procedures due to
non-availability of the treatment in their host countries. Now scenario has changed, recent
drift is that people are moving from developed nations to developing nations for healthcare
services due to cost factor as many developing countries are providing superior quality
treatment at an affordable price, though the conventional trend is still continuing
It is expected that Indian Medical Tourism market will increase to 7-8 billion USD by 2020
from its present size of 4.5 billion USD. However, because of huge competition in medical
tourism sector, success can only be achieved by the combined endeavors of different key
players in the market through the development and implementation of proper short term
and long-term strategies. Rich cultural heritage of India, various traditions and lifestyles,
Ayurveda and yoga attract international patients apart from medical treatment.
 Literature Review

Sr. No. Title Author Publisher Objective Findings

1. Medical Tourism Bhawna Management Strategies adopted by -Building and promoting the
in India: Growth SHARMA Dynamics in the medical tourism image of India as high-quality
or Dilemma Amity the sector in India medical tourism destination,
University Knowledge creating and promoting new
Uttar Pradesh Economy combination of medical tourism
products, keeping up the high
standard of quality treatments
at a reasonable price, providing
informative online and offline
materials and make them
available to the potential
customers.
-Also attaining the
accreditation/standard to
reassure the quality of
treatments as well as
emphasizing on the needs and
demands of the existing target
markets must be incorporated.
2. Annadurai JKIMSU To ascertain The present study presents a
Health care Kalaivani , inequities in health progressive financing pattern in
growth in North Mani Geetha , status, service health care in three States in
Danasekaran utilization and out-of- north India. Rich spend more as
India
Raja pocket (OOP) health a proportion of their
expenditures consumption expenditure on
health care. This result requires
discussion in light of higher
unmet need and high
catastrophic expenditure
among poor. expenditure.
Moreover, as a proportion of
income, poor spend more on
basic subsistence such as food
leaving little for meeting other
needs
3. The Assessment of Derya Kara International Understanding the 1: Many of the citizens prefer
Medical Tourism Associate Journal of state of medical different countries. Because of
in the World and Professor, Health tourism in the the operations with low cost
Strategy Department Sciences and following countries: which are among the significant
Recommendations of Health Care Research -Thailand elements for the tourists who
Management, -USA participate in the health
Faculty of -India tourism and the high quality-
Economics -Singapore requested services, these have
and -Mexico helped these countries to be
Administrative preferred.
Sciences, Gazi
 University, 2: The expectations from
Ankara, medical treatment services are
Turkey. different. It contains wide range
of expectations from preventing
the illnesses to protective
medicine without relaxation in
itself. While feeling good and
relaxing is important for the
youth for that moment, taking
precautions for the illnesses are
important for the older people.

4. Medical tourism Gabriela ȚIGU University of Understanding the 1: Medical tourism is an

market trends - an The Bucharest Economic trends in the medical opportunity for developing
exploratory University of Studies, tourism with countries that should take
research Economic Bucharest, reference to South- advantage of the favorable
Studies, Romani East Asia international context and invest
Bucharest, in creating and promoting a
Romania competitive medical touristic
offer.
2: We found that the growth of
a medical tourism destination is
influenced by the superior
economical level of the
receiving countries, but, at the
same time, it is also a growth
factor for developing
economies if it is included in
their national strategy.
5. A Study of the VIDYA PRIYA International • Relationship 1: The medical tourists are
Factors RAO Journal of between financial looking for every cost-saving
Influencing (Research Business and considerations and opportunity, hence financial
Customer Scholar, Dr General customer satisfaction consideration is a deciding
Satisfaction in Ram Manohar Management • Relationship factor and has a direct positive
Medical Tourism Lohia Avadh (IJBGM) between the hospital correlation with their
in India University, medical facilities and satisfaction level.
Faizabad, customer satisfaction 2: The service quality level in
Uttar Pradesh, • Relationship the hospital has a direct
India) between service positive correlation with the
quality and customer medical tourists’ satisfaction
satisfaction level.
• The moderating 3: The environment in India, as
variables (culture, a moderating variable
location, and comprising Indian government
government) impact support, locates, and the
on customer country, culture, enhance the
satisfaction impact on the medical tourists’
satisfaction.
6. Global Medical Hajime Eto International Understanding the -The medical tourism industry
Tourism: A Review University of Journal of growth of medical has become more structured,
Tsukuba Health tourism globally based on quality and safety of
Sciences and medical services and suppliers,
Research in the meantime, being a social,
cultural and economic
phenomenon that generates
impacts relating to the
sustainable environment.

7.

8. An evaluation of Lakhvinder Asian Journal The prime objective India has enormous potential to
medical tourism in Singh, Ph.D. of of the study is to emerge as one of the world’s
India Research Hospitality, study Medical sought after and best Medical
Scholar, Tourism and Tourism in India and tourism destinations. Its
Department Leisure to present a brief splendid tourism attractions
of Tourism & SWOT analysis and healthcare facilities have
Hotel thereon. The study the ability to lure more and
Management also focuses on more tourists. It is capable of
making some becoming a ‘heave’ for medical
important suggestions tourists by highlighting holistic
to promote India as a treatments such as Ayurveda,
global medical Spa, Yoga, Medication,
tourism destination. Wellness, Unani, Sidha,
Naturopathy etc. Hence medical
tourism providers should try to
maintain service quality and
vigorously strive to make India
the world leader in medical
tourism, a path it is certainly on.
9. Health Tourism in Ms Jaspreet International
India Growth and Kaur* Mr. Hari Marketing
Opportunities Sundar. G** Conference
Deepti on
Vaidya*** Marketing &
Sheela Society
Bhargava
10. Slack based Sandeep International The purpose of this The analysis found that out of
measure of Kumar Mogha Journal of paper is to determine total 36 hospitals only ten
efficiencies of and Shiv Health the relative hospitals are relatively overall
public sector Prasad Yadav Sciences and efficiencies of public technical efficient. The average
hospitals in Department Research sector hospitals in overall technical efficiency
Uttarakhand of Uttarakhand, India. 54.10 per cent indicates that an
(India) Mathematics, average hospital has the scope
Indian of producing the outputs with
Institute of the inputs 45.90 percent lesser
Technology than their existing levels. The
Roorkee, slack analysis results show that
Roorkee, India on average 12.57 per cent of
beds, 13.16 per cent of doctors,
14.04 per cent of paramedical
staff can be reduced and 17.53
per cent of out-door patients,
66.55percentofin-
doorpatients,208.23
percentofmajorsurgeries,110.73
percent of minor surgeries can
be expanded if all the inefficient
hospitals operate at the level of
efficient hospitals.
Objectives
 To explore the variables which affect the Indian medical tourism sector.
 To identify the factors/dimensions affecting the Indian medical tourism
sector.
 To evaluate the intensity of variables affecting Indian Medical Tourism
sector

Push and Pull Factors for Medical Tourism

(1) Push factors focusing on the demand-side for medical tourism. They are
mainly related to consumers and includes factors such as socio-demographical
(e.g., age, gender, income, education) or health related (e.g., insurance status,
health status) factors generating the demand for medical tourism

(2) Pull factors focus on the offer for medical tourism. They are mainly related
to the medical tourism destination such as overall country environment (e.g.,
stable economy, country image), healthcare and tourism industry of the
country (e.g., healthcare costs, popular tourist destination) and quality of the
medical facility and services (e.g., quality care, accreditation, reputation of
doctors).
Main Factors Affecting Medical Tourism
As the following literature review show, there are many different factors,
which make a destination attractive for medical tourism, and they can broadly
be categorized into the following groups.

Sr. Dimensions/Factors Variables

No.
1. Cost, quality of treatment and Pharmacology sector
care Facilitation and care
Interpreter facility
Dietary services
Infrastructure of Indian hospitals
Insurance coverage
Efficient information system
The cost of medical and diagnostic
procedures
0
2. Availability of experts Competence of doctors and staff
Clinical excellence
Effective Human Resource pool
3. Competitive advantage Professionalism in the management
of hospitals
Coordination between healthcare &
tourism sector
Global competition
4. Political, legal and visa related Medico-legal security for medical
factors tourists
Visa related issues
Transplantation law
National healthcare policy of India
Marketing strategies