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Expanding horizons in the developing countries through medical tourism
Bangalore, May 26, 2009: India, now declared the ideal destination for medical tourism, generates a whooping $ 100 billion a year catering to the international patients from Europe, USA and Australia. The cost of a heart or a knee surgery in India is about 10 times lower that these countries thus pulling middle aged patients for cheaper but quality treatments.
However, like all industries this industry is also experiencing a trend shift. Dr. Devi Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya, said, “Our hospital has seen an increasing inflow of children with heart diseases from the developing Asian and African countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen in the last 5 years. Limited recourses and lack of expertise in these regions being the driving force to seek healthcare outside the borders.”
Narayana Hrudayalaya, one of the world’s largest heart hospitals reputed particularly as the world’s largest pediatric care hospital, caters to international patients from 73 countries. Dr. Shetty said. “We want to bridge the gap between patients and doctors by strengthening our routes of communication. We make a conscious effort to reach out to them.”
Narayana Hrudayalaya is serving as a conduit between patients and doctors. A special association with an NGO from Iraq, Tareeq-Al-Zuhoor, entitles 2,500 children to be treated only at cost price at the hospital. The hospital has also tied up with the ministries of health in both Malaysia and Oman to deliver subsidized treatment. Apart from this they are also associated with 23 medical tourism agencies that notify the hospital about any patient looking for treatment outside their country.
The Telemedicine network, the largest in the world, has treated more than 2.5 lakh people through this network. It is connected across 400 centers and allows easy accessibility to the medical expertise in Narayana Hrudayalaya. The video conferencing facility allows two or more individuals, sitting across borders, to interact by using audio and video support through digital communications link. This not only lends a personal touch which is in line with the traditional modes of doctor-patient interaction but also facilitates quick remote consultation during emergencies.
The services, however, are not only restricted to just precise meting out of treatment. Abhay P. Singavi, Head of International Division, Narayana Hrudayalaya, said, “We understand that the children who come here for treatment are away from home and we try our best to soothe them and customize our services to their requirements.”
Translators with expertise in languages like Arabic, Malay and Mandarin ensure that the patients do not face communication barrier in the absence of adults. Assistance is provided to the patients from the airport till they are handed over to the nurses trained specifically for international patients. A platter of multi-cuisine food to suite the palates of these patients coupled with a dedicated satellite to broadcast international channels make sure that the patients feel at home.
Narayana Hrudayalaya has already treated about 14,000 patients from abroad. Dr. Shetty said, “We have been able to build faith among people outside our country after Noor’s (from Pakistan) operation. We see a huge number of children coming to us from abroad in the future too. After all 12% of the country-wide pediatric cardiac cases are treated in our hospitals.”
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