According to an article appearing Monday in the Wall Street Journal medical tourism is on the way. With the out sourcing of billing and technical reading services already a major boon to the Indian economy, the actual delivery of retail medical procedures in India is surging (including the opportunity for a seaside stop as part of the recovery package).
India it seems is churning out approximately 20, 000 physicians and 30,000 nurses a year and out sourcing enterprises such as Apollo Hospitals Enterprises, Ltd based in Madras, with its 37 hospitals and is presently treating about 60.000 foreign patients a year from Orthopedic to Cardiac procedures (frequently at about a quarter of the cost).
If you don't mind negotiating the urban squalor, the extreme heat and the vegetarian diets (cows are sacred) of Indian communities you can get a great deal for the cost. This may be particularly appealing to those without health insurance or to American companies interested in reducing their health care costs. (Catch 22, "The good news is that you have full coverage, the bad news is that you have to find a way to get to the Asian subcontinent to obtain it." The possibilities for savings are enormous.) This treatment option is not recommended for those seeking relief from xenophobia.
A number of years ago I undertook a treks to the northern suburbs of Toronto for a double surgery for hernias at Shuldice Hospital in Thornton, Ontario. The main attraction there was that they did nothing but Hernias and guaranteed their work. The cost was also a pleasant surprise at about a third of the cost of a U.S. procedure. The hospital was progressive, the doctors were excellent, my fellow patients were interesting, but the tourism aspect was not as entertaining as I anticipated as I struggled through the Toronto Airport in extreme slow motion for the return trip to the U.S. Would I do it again? In a heart beat! But then again, Toronto is exactly New Delhi.
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