Medical Tourism And Inequity In India

In Medical Tourism and Inequity in India, Kristen Smith explores Indian private hospitals and their role in the global healthcare service supply chain within various religious, social, cultural, historical, and economic contexts. Drawing on critical medical anthropology theories as well as health and human rights perspectives, Smith problematizes the assumed independence between the medical tourism industry, the commodification of the Indian healthcare system, and the local populations facing critical health issues, while highlighting the rapid transformation of healthcare services into merely another global commodity. For more information, check out A Conversation with Kristen Smith, author of Medical Tourism and Inequity in India: The Hyper-Commodification of Healthcare

"Medical Tourism in India is unique healthcare service provided by various hospitals in India. This book is designed to assist the medical tourist to closely understand and know the status of medical tourism in India and locate their need for healthy life by proper medical treatment during their stay in India.This book introduces India, Indian healthcare system and medical tourism briefly but completely. It is also useful as this book describe medical tourism in India, It’s impact in Indian healthcare system and economy by analyzing various facts and figure using SWOT analysis method and includes many success stories of medical tourism in India with conclusive evidence and suggestion for betterment of medical tourism in India .This book also includes various consultant and tourism sites across India.Hope this book will contribute you to understand medical tourism in India so that you will enjoy reading and find it informative."

Project Report from the year 2013 in the subject American Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: A-, University of Bedfordshire, course: MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN HEALTHCARE & HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT, language: English, abstract: This theory into practice report is intend for exploration of influence of globalisation on the healthcare delivery in Indian Medical Tourism industry. The scope of this report is broad as it critically analyse Indian Medical Tourism industry with the means of theoretical frameworks and case studies based on 3 famous Indian Hospitals. The core objective of this report is to determine the impact of globalisation on the Indian Medical Tourism sector, It has been discovered that India is regarded as the most favourite destination from the perspective of medical tourists and all this possible due to several factors (low treatment cost, capitalisation of superior medical technology and highly skilled paramedical and medical staff who got initial training from Developed countries). The globalisation of healthcares services had been began after the signing of General Agreement on Trade Services (GATS) which thereafter directed Indian economy towards the opening up especially in relation to inflow of advanced medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and implants from other countries and also resulted in the enhancement of quality standards which were guided through the development of clinical governance and competitive benchmarking system. Indian Medical Tourism sector has been offering qualitative and comparatively affordable healthcare services through highly skilled personnel, increasing Indian foreign revenue, expanding job opportunities within healthcare sector, augmenting the global standing of India, encouraging investors to make more investment with healthcare sector and corresponding is promoting reverse brain drain. The major challenge which is a threat to Indian healthcare services due to the globalisation factor is the increasing inequity between Indian public and private sector and is hence resulted in the form of brain drain. The second challenge is related with ethical issues in response to certain procedures (reproductive tourism & organ transplantation). Professionals of Indian public healthcare sector should come up with regulatory policies in the align with strict governance policies for India private healthcare in order to overcome certain challenges occur after the brain drain of doctors from public healthcare to private sector.

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Medical Tourism Destinations 3. Trade of Health Services 4. Ayurvedic Tourism 5. Trends in Health and Wellness Industry 6. Development of Health Tourism in India 7. Medical Tourism in Kerala 8. Assessing the Impacts of Wellness Tourism 9. Hospitality Services 10. Health Tourism and Public Health 11. Towards Sustainable Tourism

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: 2,0 (B), University of Bedfordshire, language: English, abstract: This research project examines the phenomenon of medical tourism in India. It contain case studies of three major players of the Indian medical tourism sector. Core aim of this research project is to evaluate the current market situation and the influence of external environmental factor on the Indian medical tourism sector.

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Health - Miscellaneous, grade: B-, University of Bedfordshire, course: MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN HEALTHCARE & HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT, language: English, abstract: This report is written on the topic of ‘Healthcare Tourism Opportunities for India’. The scope of this report is broad as it incorporates the case studies of five major players in Indian healthcare tourism sector. It has been observed that Healthcare Tourism and Medical Tourism are interchangeable terms. In general, there are two main causes (developed countries’ increasing cost of healthcare services and their overburdened healthcare infrastructure) that have resulted in enhancing the demand for healthcare tourism. Medical Malpractices Insurance is the major for increasing the healthcare cost in developed countries. Commonly, medical malpractice insurance is considered as major aspect for increasing the cost of medical treatment, widening the delay in the waitlist and also enhancing the movement of medical professionals from one region to another. India has competitive edge in the healthcare tourism because of certain characteristics: healthcare professional availability, low-cost medical treatment, enhancing popularity of its traditional wellness systems and country’s existing reputation for treat of relatively advance healthcare segments (such as organ transplant, cardio-vascular surgery and eye surgery/ By reviewing all the case studies, it has been analysed that there are certain general practices that are being pursued by major healthcare service providers in India. It includes updation and utilisation of advanced technology & medical facilities, consistent healthcare education, research in medical sciences and the approach of skill development. It has been discovered that there are certain opportunities (Increasing cost of healthcare in developed countries, language proficiency of Indians, Indian healthcare institutions’ success rate, delay in waiting time, Indian healthcare institutions’ success rate and spillover effects) that could be exploited by the Indian medical institutions that are intended on providing medical services to foreign medical tourists. However, it has been determined that Indian medical tourism sector has been some of the challenges (Indian government’s low spending on Healthcare sector, lack of International Accreditation, transplantation law, shortage of hotel accommodation and inadequate malpractices law) that could have negative impact on the growth rate of this sector. It has been recommended that the strategies currently adopted by major players of Indian medical tourism sector have helped its country to emerge as favouri

CONTENTS: Health Tourism: An Emerging Industry; Growth & Opportunities of Medical Tourism in India; Globalization & Industry Competitiveness in Healthcare Services & Marketing; Medical Tourism: India's Competitive Advantage; Indian Hospital Industry & Medical Tourism; Medical Tourism in India: Winners & Losers; Medical Tourism in India: Strategy for its Development; Redistributive Policies of the Government of India: Medical Tourism Industry & its benefits to Local Citizens; Apollo Hospitals: Leading the way in Healthcare Tourism; Medical Tourism in Kerala -- Challenges & Scope; Medical Tourism: Opportunities & Challenges; Development of a Framework Towards Successful Implementation of E-Governance Initiatives in Health Sector in India.

Scientific Essay from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: none, NIL, course: Business management, language: English, abstract: India’s growth story as a medical tourism hub is a relatively newer one. With significant cost advantages, availability of quality medical treatment with the most-advanced medical technology coupled with India’s well-known tourist destinations and rich cultural heritage,medical tourism does provide a motive sufficient enough to allure those foreign patients who either want to avoid the long waiting list for medical treatment in the West or, in absence of any health insurance coverage, seek lower cost treatment. India’s strength in advanced and life saving healthcare such as organ transplants, cardio-vascular surgery,etc, as well as in alternative systems of medicine(i.e. ayurveda, naturopathy,etc) offer significant competitive advantages. Cashing in this opportunity, The National Health Policy 2002 declared that treatment of foreign patients is legally an “export” and deemed “eligible for all fiscal incentives extended to export earnings”. Besides, a new category of visa, “Medical Visa” has been introduced by Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India. On the other hand, setting up of Bio-Technology Parks Society of India, grant of SEZ status to them, coming up Medicities, entry of private players in health insurance in India along with Indian hospitals looking for international accreditation glitter further hopes of accelerated medical tourism, a growth engine for foreign exchange earnings. However, the poor infrastructure of the country, shabby streets, pity state of our public hospitals shakens our confidence,despairs for this much hype of medical tourism and calls for serious attention wherein much more efforts are needed. Definitely,public-private partnership is one way ahead which can revamp public hospitals and bring them at par with other private hospitals.Further, there is still no Medical Tourism Policy either formulated by the Central or any of the States Governments. As the medical tourism industry is growing exponentially, government and the private players need to join hands in order to act as a catalyst to build infrastructure for hospitals, create specialty tourist packages to include medical treatment, promote accreditation and standardisation, enable access and tie-ups with insurance companies, provide state of art facilities and improve quality of in-patient care and service to meet the requirements of foreign patients and to attain sustainable competitive advantage.