Medical Tourism and Healthcare Beyond Borders

KOCHI:
Medical tourism/ health tourism or global healthcare is rapidly-growing across international borders to seek healthcare services.
Services typically sought by travelers include elective procedures as well as complex surgeries. India holds the advantage as a medical tourism destination for Oman and MENA region due to following factors. Although Healthcare system in Oman is commendable, it is plagued by issues such as long waiting time, few and very costly private health services. In India however, most doctors and nurses are fluent in English, adaptable, friendly and approachable.
Doctors and surgeons at Indian hospitals are trained, highly qualified and experienced in India or have worked at some of the medical institutions in the US, Europe, or other developed nations. Hospitals in India have Top -of- the-line medical and diagnostic equipment from global international conglomerates and certified international standard is available at many Indian hospitals in India which is on par with European hospitals. Indian nurses are among the best in the world. Nearly 2000 recognized nurses-training centers in India, mostly attached to teaching hospitals, graduate nearly 15,000 nurses annually. One of the reasons as to why Oman and MENA regions look at India for Medical tourism and Healthcare is the host of advantages available here like Food, Language, Weather and Culture.
In 2015, around 88,000 Omanis visited India, according to the Bureau of Immigration, India. India has emerged as one of the most sought after destinations for medical tourists across the globe owing to its high value proposition in terms of quality health care Omanis travel to India for medical treatment because India has excellent healthcare facilities.
Indian doctors are well- known for their competence and experience and the cost of medical treatment in India is much lower when compared with other countries. Indian doctors working in Oman have said that for certain treatments, such as those involving oncology, neurology and gastroenterology, the facilities available at hospitals in India are the best and that medics in these fields are highly skilled too. So, in some cases, which need extra attention, they refer the patients to seek treatment in India.
It goes without saying that the Gulf and the Middle East region are important markets for India. There has been a consistent and positive growth of foreign tourist arrivals from this region to India over the last three years as India continues to attract visitors with its natural beauty, vivid festivals, exotic beaches and architectural marvels; from palaces and heritage hotels, to deserts, and skiing in the mountains.
India has emerged as a destination for medical and wellness travel in GCC countries. Indian hospitals are getting patients from Oman. Cities that cater to the inflow of Medical Tourists are Kochi, Trivandrum, Calicut, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi to name some.
India has become the preferred medical tourism destination based on the presence of a large working population from the country in the Gulf.
Benny Thomas, Medical Tourism Magazine, India, says “It’s Destination India for Omanis. Medical tourism remains an attraction as Kerala offers state-of- the-art medical facilities and excellent healthcare at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. Apex bodies such as CII, FICCI and the Embassy of India, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, ensure that Roadshows and events held on Medical Tourism has an active participation of hospitals, Doctors, TPAs and affiliates so as to provide a glimpse of the attractive tourism products as well as the countless cultural, spiritual and travel experiences that India offers as a tourism, healthcare and medical destination”.
Keralites are the main workforce in Gulf. Arabs connect well with Malabaris, one of the reasons they choose Kerala. The highlight of the Medical tourism launch is to depict Kerala and other large cities in India as a multi-faceted all-the- year- round tourist destination for medical tourism apart from culture, wildlife and wellness programs.
Lijihas Ussain, IMTEC Oman, comments “ The percentage of Omanis and Arabs from Middle East visiting India for medical treatment has been increasing over the years and growing rapidly and has reversed the flow from other countries.
Many cities in India are a hub for medical tourism, because of several factors – world class hospitals with latest technology, highly skilled Indian physicians and surgeons, low cost of treatment, excellent quality of care and nursing in addition to comparatively less waiting time for availing of medical services, Arabic cuisine, local people well versed in Arabic lingo and translation, easy connectivity with more airports, lesser travel time as compared to other regions.”
India’s traditional healthcare therapies like Ayurveda and Yoga combined with allopathic treatment provide a holistic wellness destination.
Bridging Oman and India on Medical Tourism and Healthcare, the Oman government-owned Oman Air has connected Muscat to many destinations in India. The airline is now one of the fastest growing airlines in the world and actively involved in promoting Medical tourism in India. In addition to that Oman is also looking to promote itself as tourism and also as MICE (meeting, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) destination too.
Ease of travel from Oman to India for Medical Tourism has become a reality. Medical visas for India have risen more than 100% over the last year. Indian doctors are well-known for their competence and experience and the cost of medical treatment in India is much lower when compared with other countries. To encourage more Omanis to visit India, the government of India announced changes in the existing visa rules for medical tourism, business and other purposes, recently. ‘e-medical visa’ will be issued for medical treatment in India.
The window for issuing visas under ‘e-visa’ has also been increased from 30 days to 120 days, which means that the applicant can travel to India within 120 days of issuing of the ‘e-visa In case of the ‘e-medical visa,” an extension can be granted for stay up to six months on a case to case basis by the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) concerned.
Medical Tourism, it’s not only a business for Hospitals. It provides opportunities to Hotels & Transport firms. CII, FICCI and Govt of India provide continuous effort to pull more patients to India. 2018 holds a special place for Medical Tourism and Healthcare in Oman. Welcome to IMTEC Oman, Oman’s only Trade Event for Medical Tourism & Healthcare Industries, 24- 26 April 2018, Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. It takes a strategic platform to host the 5th International Medical & HealthCare Exhibition & Conference IMTEC Oman 2018, under the patronage of Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman.
Eyad Bdier, IMTEC Director, adds “Welcome all participants to Oman, a beautiful country, the land of warmth, hospitality and comfort. It will provide the perfect platform for Hospital groups, Medical travel organizations and Health services companies to increase their global presence and international patient network. In last 15 months – 100’s of Indian Hospitals have participated in Medical Exhibitions conducted in Oman and Middle East.”
Why Visit IMTEC Oman 2018
Learn about industry developments and trends. Connect with Government & Authority officials to understand the needs and sector developments. Networking Events & Opportunities – Connect with industry leaders from around the country at the numerous opportunities available, including association programs, networking events, and on the exhibit floor.
Find New Products & Services – The Medical Tourism, Exhibition & Conference Hall features hundreds of providers giving live demonstrations of innovative healthcare design products and services that support the individuals, hospitals or clinic environment.
Industry Speakers – The Medical Tourism, Exhibition & Conference’s keynote speakers are consistently some of the leading voices and minds in healthcare.
IMTEC and the year 2018 have a lot to offer for Medical Tourism and Healthcare across the MENA region.
 IMTEC Oman 2018 – 24, 25, 26 April, Oman Convention Centre, Muscat
 Kenya Medical Show – 10,11, 12, May
 Medic East Africa – 25, 26, 27 September, Nairobi
 Medic West Africa – 10, 11, 12 October, Lagos, Nigeria