Express Healthcare Management, September 2006
Dual Purpose Tourism
According to an official from the Karnataka Tourism Department, healthcare in Bangalore came into the limelight when Noor Fatima from Pakistan came to Narayana Hrudayalaya in July 2003, and was operated on by Dr Devi Shetty. After that, there was no looking back for the city. Her surgery was a landmark because not only did it help in thawing the hostility between the two neighbouring countries, but also drastically reversed the table in the medical scenario of the city for the better.
Hospitals and corporate establishments in the city have realised the potential of this niche market and have accordingly channelised their needs and facilities. Travel agents and hotels are structuring their packages and holiday schemes in accordance with the inflow of foreign patients coming into the city. Corporate bigwigs like Apollo have collaborated with travel agents to come up with SitaCare in a bid to attract more tourists to the city. It's not just the Indians and the NRIs from the neighbouring countries who are streaming into India for medical treatment. Apart from NRIs, foreign patients mainly come in from the Gulf, Europe (mainly UK) surprisingly from South East Asia and the US. They come to Bangalore with a dual strategy in mind to get their medical treatment at one-third the cost and to explore Bangalore. A spokesperson from Thomas Cook India informs, "International patients mainly go to Coorg, Mysore, Hampi, Ketur, Belgaum and Bagalkot." In the long run, they add to the foreign exchange of the country. The idea is to kill two birds with one stone.
Why Bangalore?
From being a global outsourcing centre, Bangalore has now become a health giver to the world. Medical tourism as a phenomenon is only eight to ten years old in the city. Compared to metros like Mumbai and Chennai, Bangalore was a late starter in the race. However, considering the entrepreneurial spirit of the city, it has caught up. Today, the city aims to become the numero uno in attracting foreign patients from all across the world.
So the question is, why Bangalore? How has it managed to emerge as the hot seat for healthcare both for domestic and for offshore patients? Experts point out myriad reasons.
