Medical Value Travel to India

12-year-old Mukhtar Ahmed Ali Gadkarim from Sudan was suffering from kidney failure due to a rare disorder known as Primary Hyperoxaluria. He was saved at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, India, where he successfully underwent a combined Liver and Kidney Transplant. A multi-organ transplant team of surgeons took 16 hours to conduct the challenging surgery where a kidney of one sister and a part of the liver of other sister were transplanted to save the life of their younger brother. The boy was discharged 17 days after the combined transplant. 

60 year old Urzula Wada from Poland was confined to her bed because of back pain. She underwent spinal fusion surgery in Fortis Hospital in Bangalore, India and could walk 24 hours after surgery and the pain vanished.

A  US citizen underwent a total laparoscopic uterus removal at Mumbai. Another US national opted for weight loss surgery (Bariatric surgery) by Sleeve Gastrectomy (stomach reduction method) in India.

 A complex bone grafting procedure was done at Fortis Hospital in Bangalore to give a new lease of life to a young Yemeni patient, who could not walk because of a bullet injury.

  Lonija Krastina, 22 year old young lady, from Latvia of North Europe was affected with Auto immune disorder – RA +ve and HLA – B 27 +ve. She opted for Ayurvedic treatment in Cochin and after several months treatment she is perfectly healthy and leads a happy life.

These few success stories only goes to prove that India is a preferred healthcare destination for patients across the globe. Patients seek value when they choose to undertake travel beyond borders for healthcare. Thus the new term for medical tourism is Medical Value Travel. The value the patients get in India are world class treatment , state of the art hospitals, largest pool of highly qualified and skilled doctors, well trained and caring nurses and para medical staff, latest and highly advanced medical devises, absence of waiting time for patients, no language problem for foreign patients, ultramodern pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging facilities, 300 private hospitals accredited with National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH), 23 JCI accredited private hospitals and most importantly affordable treatment costs. The cost per surgery is very low in India and a patient saves about 50-70% when compared to many developed nations. Moreover India provides 5000 years old system of medicine Ayurveda and Yoga which are most effective ways of providing wellness for both mind and body.

Patients travel to India for heart transplants and other heart surgeries, for treatment of cancer and bone marrow transplants, for knee and hip replacement surgeries, minimally invasive spine surgery, brain surgery, liver transplants and difficult cases of infertility treatments.

Advantage Healthcare - India 2015, an International Summit on Medical Value Travel with the theme “Promoting Medical Services Export from India” was held from 5-7 October, 2015 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. It was organized by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC). The event was supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of AYUSH, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Tourism and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare providers (NABH). More than 500 foreign delegates attended the conference from 65 countries. The Sudanese delegation comprised of Prof. Zain Karar, President Sudan Medical Council; Prof. Eltayeb Abderahman, President Sudan Medical Specialisation Board; Dr.Anil Mithani, Urologist, Omdurman Teaching Hospital; Dr.Yassin Abbas Widaa, General Director, National Medical Commission; Abdelmoniem ElSoni Ahmed, Secretary General, Council for International People’s Friendship and Dr. Hany Gaafar Eltom Medical Travel Operator. The delegation returned to Sudan and one of them quoted Mahatma Gandhi and said “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver”.