KOCHI:
To attract more Medical Tourists to Kerala, Confederation of Indian industry (CII) is organizing the Seventh edition of Kerala Health Tourism (KHT) 2019 on 3 and 4 July 2019 at Le Meriden, Kochi. The summit will deliberate on the theme: Kerala – an emerging Global Hotspot for MVT.
India has been growing as a hub for the medical tourists every year and the prime reason being the cost of medical treatment in India which is cheaper when compared to Western Europe, North America and some Southeast Asian countries. According to a recent study it was understood that India has nearly 18% of the global medical tourism market.
Also, it has been estimated that India’s medical tourism industry could be worth $9 billion, and account for 20% of the global market share by 2020. NITI Aayog identified that Medical Value Travel as a major source of foreign exchange earnings for India.
Although Kerala is the leading state in India for tourism, tourists travelling to Kerala for medical needs remain very minimal. A rare combination of advanced facilities, skilled doctors, and low cost of treatment are the advantages Kerala possess but unfortunately the State is not able to attract the medical tourists to the fullest of its potential.
International delegation from nine countries including Bangladesh, Oman, Africa, Jeddha, Cambodia, Iraq, Maldives, Yemen and Uzbezkistan will participate in the summit. Procurement managers from leading hospitals in Kerala will be joining for the event. There will be an exclusive exhibition on Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Medical Technology as part of the summit.
The speakers at the event include Sudhanshu Pandey , Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India,s Sangeeta Godbole, Director General, Services Export Promotion Council, Gokulam Gopalan, Chairman, Sree Gokulam Medical College, M I Sahadulla, Chairman & Managing Director, KIMS Healthcare Management Limited, Fr. Johnson Vazhappilly , ED & CEO, Rajagiri Hospital, Rohit Sathe, President – Healthcare, Philips Indian subcontinent, Dr Abhitabh Gupta, Managing Director, Paramount Health Services and Insurance TPA Pvt. Ltd, Dr Pradeep Kumar, Chairman, Kinder Medical Group, Singapore, Dr Dilip Panikar, Sr. Consultant Neurosurgery, Aster Medcity, Dr Sundaramoorthy, Chairman & MD, Lotus Eyecare, Junaid Rahman, Medical Director, Sree Sudheendra Medical Mission and Dr AM Anvar, Chairman & Managing Director, Punarnava.
The topics covered in the summit include Clinical excellence in Kerala: The value proposition, Health insurance: A key catalyst to promote MVT, Role of healthcare facilitator: Critical link or underbelly, Role of Government to promote MVT: Centre and State, Accreditation and Quality initiatives in Kerala, Role of holistic medicine in promoting MVT – The Kerala model and Role of medical equipment manufacturers in promoting MVT.
