Chennai, India (CU)_ According to Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Government of India’s Ministry of Tourism, India has the finest of both contemporary and traditional medical systems and is capable of providing holistic therapy and care to individuals from all over the world.
While addressing the event themed, ‘Heal in India – Rejuvenate the Body, Mind and the Soul,’ during the Tourism Week at the India Pavilion, EXPO2020 Dubai, Rakesh Kumar spoke about India’s medical tourism. He said, “Our country is one of the prominent destinations for medical tourism owing to the availability of quality healthcare treatment facilities at considerably low cost. The Indian systems of medicines such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, etc. are among the most ancient systems of medical treatment, of the world”.
Rakesh Kumar spoke about the steady progress in medical tourism. He added, “The number of international patients increased from 4.3 lakhs in 2016 to 7 lakhs in 2019, with an estimated market size in the range of USD 6 billion in 2019. Some estimates suggest USD 9 billion in 2020 before pandemic hit”. He expressed confidence in the country’s medical tourism sector. He said, “India has become a favorite destination for yoga and wellness with its focus on traditional therapies through AYUSH – the government of India recognizes medical value travel and wellness tourism as important sectors having the potential of accelerating the country’s development and attaining the objective of Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.
Dr Atul Mohan Kochhar, CEO of National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers, joined the event virtually and delivered his speech. He spoke about their contribution to the sector. He said, “We started with one program in 2006, now we are running 21 programs under the accreditation, certification and empanelment arms. We have also partnered with more than 12,000 hospitals and are actively collaborating with NHA (National Health authority) and Ayushman Bharat Yojana to create a strong system for transparent medical care.”
Prof Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), addressed the event virtually and expressed optimism over India’s potential to offer holistic care. He said, “India has the advantage of providing holistic care using alternate medicine, Ayurveda and other methods including yoga and allopathy. Therefore, we need to look at preventive health packages and treatment health packages specially for patients who have non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, artery disease, or chronic diseases.”
Dr Sangita Reddy, Past President of FICCI and Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, attended the event virtually. She spoke about the country’s immense healthcare resources, world-class expertise and modern technologies for treatments. She said, “The Indian healthcare system has high-quality hospitals. The nurses, doctors and other health care professionals are at par with the best in the world. India also has 39 Joint Commission international accredited multi-specialty hospitals with some of the latest technologies, infrastructure, and patients are discerning that the internet is a great medium of communication”.
Dr. Reddy discussed the world-class training provided to doctors from other countries like Africa and international partnerships in progressive initiatives. She added, “We are also committed to training and development of other ecosystems. Multiple doctors and nurses from various countries in Africa have visited India and have been part of the training program. We are committed to develop global partnerships in treatment, training, learning and research”.
The healthcare industry experts who were present at the event were Sandeep Nanduri, Director, Tourism Department, Government of Tamil Nadu; Krishna Teja, Director, Tourism Department, Government of Kerala; Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare; Dr D Ramanathan, Managing Director & Chief Physician, Sitaram Ayurveda; and Abhilash Ramesh, Executive Director, Kairali Ayurvedic.
