Medical Tourism in India

Medical Tourism is on the increase across the globe as the western nations age, tolerance of waiting lists falls and costs of medical insurance rises and Medical Tourism in India is growing rapidly.

The celebrity driven world we live in has made cosmetic surgery more and more acceptable as the ideals of body shape and image are striven for.

The care in many places in not in doubt. We have added this page because of the increases seen in India. It is a $bn business with 150,000 overseas patients treated in 2002 and 15% annual growth since. A significant proportion of these are Indians that have settled overseas but the numbers of Europeans and North American citizens is on the up.

There are some ethical issues surrounding the lack of medical provision for the poor but there is no denying that the private hospitals offer an excellent service with success rates rivalling, and in some cases exceeding, the US and EU. Treatment is offered with private rooms and a 5 star room service with additional provision for family.

There has been some criticism of some activities such as hip replacements but our initial research suggests that this is (at least in the UK) as much to do with the outsourced elective surgery performed in the UK as from further afield. If you are considering Medical Tourism in India or elsehwere we advise the following:

• Make enquiries about the exact facility that the procedure will take place in.
• If possible, find ot who the will actually perform the procedure.
• You will be travelling overseas and whilst many costs will be covered by the provider it is prudent to take out travel and medical insurance seperately! Accidents can and do happen (see Travel in India) and emergency care or theft is unlikely to be provide as part of the Medical Tourism package.

New country, new culture, no coverage? Apply now for major medical health insurance.

• Check the airline you are travelling with. If necessary upgrade if on a long haul flight especially if considering knee of hip replacement. Check the upgrade prices and see if there is an option to pay at the return airport if recovery has been slower than expected.
• Ask detailed questions about after care, rehablitation and physiotherapy. It may be an extra charge and probably well worth it.

We must stress that we are not medical experts here but have done some work is response to questions. We have concluded the following:

• It is feasible to incorporate a medical procedure with an annual holiday/vacation - including in India.
• Care in many countries is excellent.
• Depending on the procedure; costs can be as low as 30% of the US and EU.
• India is excellent for cardiac and orthopeadic surgery, laser corrective eye surgery and dentistry.
• For cosmetic surgery South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela, Cost Rica or Cuba seem to be leaders.
• Fertility treatment is strong in Slovenia, Israel and Turkey.
• Dentistry in Hungary and Estonia due to the much higher proportion of dentists per capita than most countries.
• Thailand clearly leads for gender reassignment.
• You should check the after-care and rehabilitation - especially physiotherapy.
• You may not get the psychological checks for suitability/necessity of cosmetic surgery. Most insist that this does happen.

We advise caution but have generally positive and very positive reports. The list above is not exhaustive and some coutries, such as Poland, Malaysia and Singapore, do well across the board without being leaders.

Be prepared and plan well. The destination should be chosen on no more than a whim than a decision to enlarge ones breasts!