The result of opening up the economy to international markets has resulted in facilitating the up-gradation of infrastructure and facilities in India to an international level. The beginning of the 21st century thus has been actually a new beginning in the globalised economic history of India. As a result of these developments many other viable business fronts have opened up, one of the important ones being medical tourism. Medical tourism is a term used to mean a tourist on visit to a different country with the purpose of tourism as well as getting medical treatment due to affordability and infrastructure factors.

India, being a country that scores on both fronts, advanced medical services of international standards and the exotic natural bounties that attracts tourists has become “the destination” for medical tourists. The Indian economy as a result, is looking forward to an annual turnover of up to a billion dollars and about 40 million employment opportunities from medical tourism.

To understand the concept of medial tourism better, we need to look at the needs of a medical tourist in more detail. A medical tourist looks at the medical facilities and services provided by the country as the major reason and of course, the tourist attraction of the country comes second. The varied and much needed medical services needed by a medical tourist are well handled by India due to its vast range of services varying from cosmetic surgeries to more complicated heart and joint surgeries at affordable costs and world class infrastructure. Further, more augmenting is the fact that India has always been a major tourist attraction right through the centuries.

The lower cost of treatment and medicines in India compared to most other countries without any compromise on the quality of medical services makes India a much favored destination for medical tourism today. The cost of most major surgeries in India including cosmetic surgery, dentistry, joint care and heart surgery at about a tenth of the price compared to most other developed countries makes it more attractive.

Fro example, a heart surgery costs about $10,000 in India at most advanced hospitals compared to about $50,000 in the US. Similarly, a bone marrow transplant procedure that can set you back by about $250,000 in the US can be availed at about $25,000 in India. A normal regular health check up with ultrasound and blood tests costs about $90, compared to about $600 in London.

India’s reputation or hospitality and good exchange rates because of globalization along with the added savings on costs of traveling, sightseeing, lodging, food help making India s very favored destination.

Most skeptics still see India as a country without health consciousness, backing it up with photographs of open drains and toilets. Moreover, the argument that a medical tourist is not in a shape to enjoy the fruits of tourism after a major surgery seem to be valid and based on certain facts. This still does not justify the volume of about a 100,000 visiting medical tourists being treated by the Apollo group of hospitals annually, especially at a time when the Indian Health industry is looking towards  a annual growth of above 30% and is all set to become the most favored “global health destination”.