Cost-effectiveness and the presence of good hospitals in India make the country a preferred destination for many international patients, according to experts
New Delhi:
Thirty-year-old Iraqi national Mohsin Ali (name changed), a victim of war, is undergoing treatment for spinal issues and massive bedsores at a private hospital in the national capital.
He was wounded in 2016 and doctors in his country had given up on him. Once the travel restrictions were lifted, he visited India this year and is in stable condition now.
With many like Ali who was awaiting the relaxation of restrictions to fly to India for better treatment outcomes, hospitals and industry players say medical tourism is bouncing back after a lull during the Covid times.
Cost-effectiveness and the presence of good hospitals in India make the country a preferred destination for many international patients, according to experts.
Danish Ahmed, co-founder, and CEO of Healthtrip, a health travel company that facilitates the treatment of foreign patients in India, said only 10 percent of its patients were able to fly to the country since flights were restricted during Covid.
“Many of our patients lost their lives because they couldn’t come to India,” he told PTI. Ahmed’s firm facilitated Ali’s treatment here.
When a few flights were allowed to operate, the government included Bangladesh and Iraq in the select countries, which helped a large number of patients, he recounted.
“Even then, the number of visas issued was very restrictive and flights were expensive,” Ahmed added.
This period also took a heavy toll on the industry with many companies either shutting down or exhausting their savings, he said.
“Now, patient flow is higher than pre-Covid and there is a large backlog of those who are rushing for medical care to India,” he said.
Fortis Group of Hospitals receives around 2,800 to 3,000 international patients per month, which constitutes more than 10 percent of the total revenue, Group Chief Operating Officer of Fortis Healthcare Ltd Anil Vinayak told.
PTI