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. Title Author Publisher Objective Findings
No.
1. Medical Bhawna Managem Strategies -Building and promoting
Tourism in SHARMA ent adopted by the the image of India as
India: Growth Amity Dynamics medical tourism high-quality medical
or Dilemma University in the sector in India tourism destination,
Uttar Knowledg creating and promoting
Pradesh e new combination of
Economy 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
Health care Kalaivani , inequities in presents a progressive
growth in Mani health status, financing pattern in
Geetha , service utilization health care in three
North India
Danasekar and out-of- States in north India. Rich
an Raja pocket (OOP) spend more as a
health 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 Derya Kara Internatio Understanding 1: Many of the citizens
Assessment of Associate nal the state of prefer different countries.
 Medical Professor, Journal of medical tourism Because of the operations
Tourism in the Departmen Health in the following with low cost which are
World and t of Health Sciences countries: among the significant
Strategy Care and -Thailand elements for the tourists
Recommenda Manageme Research -USA who participate in the
tions nt, Faculty -India health tourism and the
of -Singapore high quality-requested
Economics -Mexico services, these have
and helped these countries to
Administra be preferred.
tive 2: The expectations from
Sciences, medical treatment
Gazi services are different. It
University, contains wide range of
Ankara, expectations from
Turkey. 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 Gabriela University Understanding 1: Medical tourism is an

tourism ȚIGU The of the trends in the opportunity for
market trends Bucharest Economic medical tourism developing countries that
- an University Studies, with reference to should take advantage of
exploratory of Bucharest South-East Asia the favorable
research Economic , Romani international context and
Studies, invest in creating and
Bucharest, promoting a competitive
Romania 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 Internatio • Relationship 1: The medical tourists
Factors PRIYA RAO nal between financial are looking for every cost-
Influencing (Research Journal of considerations saving opportunity, hence
Customer Scholar, Dr Business and customer financial consideration is
Satisfaction in Ram and satisfaction a deciding factor and has
 Medical Manohar General • Relationship a direct positive
Tourism in Lohia Managem between the correlation with their
India Avadh ent hospital medical satisfaction level.
University, (IJBGM) facilities and 2: The service quality
Faizabad, customer level in the hospital has a
Uttar satisfaction direct positive correlation
Pradesh, • Relationship with the medical tourists’
India) between service satisfaction level.
quality and 3: The environment in
customer India, as a moderating
satisfaction variable comprising
• The Indian government
moderating support, locates, and the
variables (culture, country, culture, enhance
location, and the impact on the
government) medical tourists’
impact on satisfaction.
customer
satisfaction
6. Global Hajime Eto Internatio Understanding -The medical tourism
Medical University nal the growth of industry has become
Tourism: A of Tsukuba Journal of medical tourism more structured, based
Review Health globally on quality and safety of
Sciences medical services and
and suppliers, in the
Research meantime, being a social,
cultural and economic
phenomenon that
generates impacts
relating to the
sustainable environment.
7.

8. An evaluation Lakhvinder Asian The prime India has enormous

of medical Singh, Journal of objective of the potential to emerge as
tourism in Ph.D. Hospitalit study is to study one of the world’s sought
India Research y, Tourism Medical Tourism after and best Medical
Scholar, and in India and to tourism destinations. Its
Departmen Leisure present a brief splendid tourism
t of SWOT analysis attractions and
Tourism & thereon. The healthcare facilities have
 Hotel study also the ability to lure more
Manageme focuses on and more tourists. It is
nt making some capable of becoming a
important ‘heave’ for medical
suggestions to tourists by highlighting
promote India as holistic treatments such
a global medical as Ayurveda, Spa, Yoga,
tourism Medication, Wellness,
destination. 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 Ms Internatio
Tourism in Jaspreet nal
India Growth Kaur* Mr. Marketing
and Hari Conferenc
Opportunities Sundar. e on
G** Deepti Marketing
Vaidya*** & Society
Sheela
Bhargava
10. Slack based Sandeep Internatio The purpose of The analysis found that
measure of Kumar nal this paper is to out of total 36 hospitals
efficiencies of Mogha and Journal of determine the only ten hospitals are
public sector Shiv Prasad Health relative relatively overall
hospitals in Yadav Sciences efficiencies of technical efficient. The
Uttarakhand Departmen and public sector average overall technical
(India) t of Research hospitals in efficiency 54.10 per cent
Mathemati Uttarakhand, indicates that an average
cs, Indian India. hospital has the scope of
Institute of producing the outputs
Technology with the inputs 45.90
Roorkee, percent lesser than their
Roorkee, existing levels. The slack
India analysis results show that
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