|
Introduction
There
are about 50 million Americans who are uninsured. On top of that there are
those who are insured and yet are not covered by their health insurance
for Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgeries
(including Breast Augmentation and Breast Reduction) & Dental Surgeries.
In Canada, the average waiting
time to see a primary physician is 4 months. That clearly
illustrates the frustration that exists in Canadians to get any
specialty medical treatment either medical or surgical in a timely
fashion. Furthermore because of existence of National Health Care the
standard of care is also questionable and many Canadians travel to USA
to have procedures done in USA even if they have to pay extraordinary
amount of dollars.
Similar issues to that of Canada
exist in UK. Herein too there is a long waiting period resulting in
frustration among its people.
With marked progress in the medical field and the field of
tourism, travel and entertainment combined with the boom in economy,
India is poised to be the hub of Medical Tourism for many years to come.
Latest data state that medical tourism market in India is worth $ 700
million. It is projected to reach $ 1 billion by 2010.
Two factors have
contributed to this data and projection:
1) The international community recognizes the
competency of Indian Physicians. Even in USA one out of every 6
physician is an Indian.
2) There is significant savings in cost for a
foreigner to have surgical procedures in India.
Add to that the marked growth in the tourism & hospitality industry, it
is very easy to forecast that India will be a major contributor in
health care for decades to come.
|
