with acute shortage of qualified medical staff, and bed capacity. A report from consultancy firm McKinsey, published last summer, estimates that over the next 20 years treatment demand in the region will rise by 240%. In particular, cardiovascular disease will experience a steep increase (419%), as will diabetes-related ailments (323%). The medical establishments in the Gulf are not equipped to handle these numbers. So there is a real need for the governments to send their nationals to be treated abroad. A large number of patients are travelling
to India from the Middle East for orthopaedic (spine scoliosis, total hip replacement, and knee replacement) procedures, neurosurgery (brain tumours, Wolf Parkinson’s syndrome, nerve disease, cerebral palsy, etc.), cancer treatment (surgical treatment of cancer tumours, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, bone marrow transplant, etc.), ophthalmology (laser surgery, retinal detachment, squint correction, etc.), cardiac surgery, PTCA (electro physiological studies), rehabilitation, cosmetic surgeries and various other treatments. There have been many initiatives made
by a number of organisations, hospitals and the government to increase the inflow of medical travellers thus boosting its health
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and tourism revenue significantly. A large number of hospitals have been sending their officials to the Gulf and Middle East region and other countries, setting up OPD camps and health centres to increase their medical tourism business. Major hospitals like Apollo, Fortis, Medanta, Primus and others have already set up bases abroad. A tremendous initiative has been undertaken by the Indian government’s Ministry of Tourism, to give financial assistance to hospitals via the Marketing Development Assistance Scheme (MDA), which ensures support to NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Members) and JCI (Joint Commission International) hospitals. Punitive laws and public health insurance
practices exist in the vast majority of countries in the region, which facilitate medical tourism. Most of the countries in the Middle East, such as Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, give free health insurance to its citizens. In almost all of the countries under review, a substantial proportion of the population have been travelling to India for a majority of their medical procedures. However there is still scope for better communication, exposure and awareness of the Indian health industry. ■
AH
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