The government of India is encouraging medical tourism in the country by offering tax
benefits and export incentives to the participating hospitals. Medical visas are being cleared
quickly without any hassles. With a view to facilitating the growth of medical tourism industry,
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the Ministry of Tourism has set up a task
force to evaluate the opportunities in the industry. Efforts are being made to standardise
procedures and to guide foreign patients to select the hospitals most suited to their needs.
Meanwhile, several private hospitals are seeking to take advantage of the booming medical
tourism industry and are investing hugely in acquiring equipments and skills.
However, medical tourism carries some risks that locally provided medical care does not.
Some countries like India, Malaysia and Thailand have very different infectious diseases rarely
found in Europe and North America. Exposure to disease without having built-up natural
immunity can be a hazard for weak individuals specially with respect to gastrointestinal diseases
like Hepatitis A, amoebic dysentery etc., which could slow down the recovery process. Also,
medical tourists may be at risk from mosquito-transmitted diseases, influenza and tuberculosis.
The quality of post-operative care can also vary dramatically depending on the hospital and the
country. Finally, after returning home, a patient has a limited contact with their surgeon. This may
make it difficult to deal with any complications that may arise later, such as a delayed infection.
The concept of medical tourism raises some important questions regarding
accessibility, affordability and ethics in medical care. It is unfortunate that a large section of
the Indian population has little or no access to private health care. Public health care system is
