Treatment abroad: India 

India is a leading destination for medical tourism, offering world-class healthcare facilities in fields such as cardiology, orthopaedics, and oncology, with renowned specialists and advanced technology at competitive prices.

The private hospitals and clinics in India are at the forefront of medical technology and equipped with modern state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled medical personnel.Indian doctors are considered to be among the best in the world and their high level of surgical expertise evolves from many years of training after studying in India many doctors train and work internationally, many of them in the USA or UK.

Why consider India for medical tourism?

India offers some of the best medical treatment in the world. Its private hospitals have an excellent reputation and India’s health care sector has sustained an enormous boom in recent years. The country is now a global health destination, with medical tourism growing by 30 per cent each year.

Despite any prejudices about healthcare in developing countries, rest assured that the private hospitals and cosmetic surgery clinics in India are at the forefront of medical technology and equipped with modern state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled medical personnel.Indian doctors are considered to be among the best in the world and their high level of surgical expertise evolves from many years of training.

Hygiene in the private hospitals is excellent, surgical patients are screened for HIV and Hbs Ag antibodies to prevent transmission of communicable diseases and the incidence of MRSA is minimal. It is normal for the operation theatres to have laminar air flow installed and gaining ISO9001 standardisation (a voluntary standardisation run by a nongovernmental body where hospitals must pass rigorous tests to be certified) is becoming increasingly popular in clinics and hospitals.

Low cost treatment

Healthcare facilities in India are among the most cost-effective in the world with private hospitals offering treatment at a fraction of the price of those in more affluent nations. Breast augmentation costs around €2,200; a facelift will cost around €3,000.

As a medical tourist to India you can book package deals which include flights, transfers, hotels, treatment and often a post-operative vacation. This enables you to take advantage of the ancient Ayurvedic stream of medicines and alternative rejuvenating retreats involving yoga, meditation or naturopathy.

Main centres

The medical hot spots are Bangalore, New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Ludhiana, Chennai and Hyderabad. International flights come into the 17 major airports, which are spread across this vast country.

India has a tropical climate with high temperatures and dry winters and the best time to visit is between October and March as the monsoon is apparent throughout the country between May to September.

So, with private facilities equal to European counterparts, efficient, multilingual doctors and dentists, coupled with massive savings on surgery, India is worth considering formedical tourism.

Reasons to choose India

Doctors considered to be among the best in the world

Clinics at the forefront of medical technology

Incredibly low prices for all treatments

Well supported healthcare tourism industry

High levels of hygiene with minimal MRSA

Amazing country to explore, full of colour and culture

The healthcare system in India

India has always had a very large private health sector including providers of modern medicine as well as traditional practitioners and has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world, producing and exporting drugs to more than 180 countries.

India’s hospitals have earned their reputation as world-class institutions with state-ofthe art technology. The prices are attractively low in comparison with the West and as a result there has been a rapid growth in international patients visiting India for medical treatment for cardiac and other major surgery, and the Government is marketing India as a medical tourism destination, having already introduced Medical Visas.

India’s private hospitals offer highly sophisticated and specialised medical services at very affordable prices and a growing trend has emerged for patients to consider India for their private healthcare – the country is now being dubbed the healthcare hub of Asia, with its healthcare industry set to grow by 15 per cent a year for the next six years.

Hospital and doctor standards

As one of the key players in medical tourism there is a growing need for accredited hospitals, to ensure best practices in a safe environment. TheMinistry of Health and Family Welfareis the body which ensures this quality in the hospitals and clinics and many hospitals are also applying for ISO 9001 accreditation, which is a non-governmental body, to raise their profile.

TheMedical Council of Indiais the main organisation and doctors need to be registered in order to practice. TheIndian Medical Associationlooks after the interests of doctors as well as the community in which they practice.TheIndian Health Care Federation(IHCF) is an independent non-statutory body which liaises between government, health providers, medical equipment manufacturers and other medical institutions. IHCF has a membership of around 300 members from across India and is affiliated to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The Indian government is working on establishing minimum quality standards to reassure patients seeking treatment abroad and the Joint Commission International USA is the Gold Standard accreditation for US and European hospitals which represents provision of the highest levels of patient care and patient safety.

Travel and accommodation in India

There are 17 international airports in India but the major ones are located at New Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras), all of which are modern, clean and organised airports. New Delhi’s international airport is called Indira Gandhi International airport and is located 25km south west of the centre. The Sahar International Airport at Mumbai (Bombay) is 30km north of the centre.

For getting around the country Indian Airlines has a large domestic network. It’s also worth noting that Air India carries domestic passengers on its linking flights between Mumbai and Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore.

Getting around

Rail travel in India is a safe and comfortable way to get around and see the country, and a far better option than bus. There are a number of different classes for travelling ranging from first class AC, which will get you a comfortable lockable cabin to sleeper class, which comprises a partition of around nine berths with ceiling fans.

Indian Railways is divided into regional zones, see www.indianrail.gov.in or visit the individual areas as follows:-www.cr.indianrailways.gov.in(central railway), www.er.indianrailways.gov.in (eastern railway),www.nr.indianrailways.gov.in(northern railway) andwww.sr.indianrailways.gov.in(southern railway).

A good way to get about town – and an essential Indian experience – is via rickshaw but remember to have a stash of Rs 10 to hand, as chances are they won’t have change for bigger notes. It’s also customary to ‘tip’ in India, in restaurants, taxi’s and transport so it’s wise to have stash of small denomination notes.

Accommodation

As for accommodation, a five star hotel in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai typically costs around €120 per night, including breakfast, while in Kolkata the same standard of hotel will be slightly cheaper. Many of the hospitals offer package deals which include a choice of accommodation within the hospital from top class luxury to standard class. If you’re planning on holidaying after your treatment then for a twin bed or double room in a three star hotel will be about €35, including breakfast.

About India

From the world’s highest mountains, to tropical coasts and desert there is a huge diversity to India’s landscape. With a population of one billion the country spans 3.28 million sq metres in space, and is made up of 28 different states, of which New Delhi is the capital.

India became independent from Britain in 1947 after a long struggle led by peaceful protester, Mahatma Gandhi. As well as the British, other Europeans ranging from the Dutch, Portuguese and French staked their claim on the country and left behind many a sacred site, ancient ruin and abandoned city.

The Taj Mahal, located in the city of Agra in Utter Pradesh, in northern India, is the country’s most celebrated attraction and a fine example of Mughal architecture. Built between 1631 and 1648 by the Emporah Shal Jahan to house his beloved wife’s tomb the Taj is a work of art of incomparable beauty, and its white marble stone changes colour in different light. Equally, in northern Karnataka, on the banks of the River Tungabadhra lies the deserted city of Hampi, a world heritage site and another of India’s archaeological highlights. While the Kerala Backwaters, in the south west are also a tourist hot spot. Fed by rivers inland from the Arabian Sea visitors can enjoy being punted along the network of narrow canals in peaceful tranquillity while overhead palms shade the boats from the sun.

Sprawling on the banks of the Yamuna River, Delhi is the very heart of India and a mixture of ancient and modern. As well as a major cultural centre it is also the political and administrative centre of the world’s largest democracy. Split into two; Old Delhi and New Delhi (the former British capital) the city is fast paced, over populated and much polluted. But these points aside, the fascinating dynasties and rulers which have risen and fallen have left behind many beautiful buildings, gardens and wide tree lined avenues, and illustrate the Mughal’s talent and skill for landscaping and architectural magnificence.

Chennai is the gateway to southern India and the capital of Tamil Nadu. Formerly known as Madras it was once just a small fishing village but today a bustling metropolis filled with British styled buildings and cathedrals along with traditional Tamil-Hindu architecture. Kalkata (formerly Calcutta), the second largest city in India is known as the city of contrasts and went from being a trading settlement to the city of palaces, while Mumbai pulsates with activity and is the country’s financial powerhouse, also a great place for shopping, sports and night life.

Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is on the south eastern shore and is the fourth largest Indian metropolis full of colonial buildings, rivers and canals and Bangalore, the fifth largest city in India, got its name from the word ‘Bendakalooru’ which means the town of boiled beans after a king of the Vijayanagar dynasty was given a bowl of boiled beans by a woman in a forest. Many large foreign companies have relocated here and taken advantage of low cost data processing.

Each region tends to have its own local dish but one thing in common is the use of spices, which, as well as adding delicious flavours to the food have medicinal and health giving properties, for example Cardamom and Turmeric have antiseptic qualities and ginger and mint aid digestion. Other essential ingredients in Indian cooking are milk and coconut oil.

India has also long been associated with spirituality, philosophy and health. The ancient healing system of Ayurveda, which is more than 5,000 years old and known as the science of life originated here, as did yoga and meditation. India is also interestingly the world’s largest producer of tea and is the traditional home of this rejuvenating brew. There are 18 official languages, but Hindi which is spoken by 45 per cent of the population is the national language. The currency is the Rupee, and there are roughly87 Indian Rupees to €1.