- A report in ‘The Guardian’

The government hopes to encourage a budding trade in medical tourism, selling foreigners the idea of traveling to India for low-cost but world-class medical treatment.

Naresh Trehan, executive director of Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, a leading private healthcare provider, says India has established world-class expertise in practices such as cardiac care, cosmetic surgery, joint replacements and dentistry.

Merging medical expertise and tourism became government policy when finance minister Jaswant Singh, in this year's budget, called for India to become a "global health destination".

- Financial Times (2/7/03)

As health care costs skyrocket, patients in the developed world are looking overseas for medical treatment.

India is capitalizing on its low costs and highly trained doctors to appeal to these "medical tourists." Even with airfare, the cost of going to India for surgery can be markedly cheaper, and the quality of services is often better than that found in the United States and UK. Indeed, many patients are pleased at the prospect of combining their tummy tucks with a trip to the Taj Mahal.

With prices at a fraction of those in the US or Britain, the concept will likely have broad consumer appeal – if people can overcome their prejudices about health care in developing countries. Though the quality of health care for the poor in countries like India is undeniably low, private facilities offer advanced technology and procedures on par with hospitals in developed nations. One Indian hospital director maintains, "In a corporate hospital, once the door is closed you could be in a hospital in America.”

- Yale Global
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