The road to good health

The prospects for India's health tourism look sunnier than ever.

India is no longer the land of snake charmers, elephants and cosmic time. Thanks to an economic boom in recent times, it is now touched by cutting edge medical technology and professionalism which is expected to take the health tourism industry, growing 25 per cent annually, to a mammoth $2 billion a year (about Dh 7.34 billion) by 2012. Add efficacious alternate therapies and junkets to picturesque locales, and the Indian wellness industry becomes an attractive choice for medical treatment.

The burgeoning medical tourism industry is soon to get a shot in the arm with the Indian government talking to three international firms to set up 1,000-bed hospitals in and around New Delhi.

According to the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Ambika Soni, the medical tourism industry is expected to involve an investment of $6.5 billion (about Dh23.87 billion). "Not very long ago, Indians used to travel abroad for treatment. Things have changed now. The world is coming to India for treatment thanks to extremely competent doctors and availability of the latest technologies," she adds. "However, the biggest deterrent to foreign investors is the unavailability of a single window clearance system. We are trying to simplify procedures and make the system easier."

India has also introduced a medical visa which is available for up to a year and can be used for up to three visits during the 12-month period. It is estimated that, on average, Indian hospitals offer treatment for 20 per cent of what it would cost in the US, with even bigger discounts available for cosmetic surgery.

According to Leena Nandan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, a task force has been formed to assess the benefits of actively promoting India as a medical tourism destination. "It will be looking at how we can best develop this opportunity and at the same time ensure that all hospitals involved offer a uniformly high standard of treatment." India is also keen to promote leisure-based health tourism, which focuses on traditional therapies such as ayurveda, yoga and ancient rejuvenation techniques.

In Chennai, considered the health capital of India, speciality hospitals such as Apollo and MIOT receive more than 10 per cent of their patients from foreign countries. To attract more overseas patients these multi-specialty hospitals offer a plethora of packages.

Apollo, for example, has a tie-up with the Taj Group of Hotels that promises to offer post-treatment hospitality. Additionally, samplings of the rich Tamil culture are thrown in to make the package deal of medical treatment, rejuvenation and sightseeing even more attractive.

Speciality hospitals such as Apollo, Sankara Nethralaya, MIOT and Madras Medical Mission (MMM) have also been attracting patients from the SAARC countries, West Asia and South East Asia. Apollo has agencies in the UK, US and Canada for patient referrals and a dedicated international patient service that takes care of customers the moment they land in India.

Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Hospital offers interpreter services and specialised and customised meal plans to suit an international palate. Insurance and third party payments are also arranged. Madras Medical Mission has signed MoUs with the Ministry of Health, Tanzania, Nigeria, Republic of Seychelles, Sri Lanka and the US. Tie-ups with organisations in Kenya, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman are also on the cards.

Columbia Asia, a chain of hospitals that caters to the middle income segment in Asia, is also looking seriously at India. "Our mission is to provide affordable and effective treatment in a clean and caring environment," says Suja Kumar, manager, support services, of its Bangalore operations.

According to Dr. Reddy of Apollo Hospitals, the Indian healthcare sector has matured to international standards and continuous innovation in new methodology has brought in professionalism. "But the biggest challenge for India is to make healthcare available to a billion people."

Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt Hospitals Group, believes that the healthcare sector is in a transition and has immense opportunities and challenges. He sees Hyderabad as the new destination for quality medical care.

Spas and wellness

Apart from conventional care, the spa and wellness industry is also emerging as a niche segment. Kerala, Uttarakhand and Goa are well-known spa destinations, and now international spa brands are entering the Indian market. The offerings are delectable: from a range of massages, reflexology and hot and cold stone therapy, to innovations in alternate therapy.

Five-star properties, evidently also spurred by pecuniary gains, have owned up to an interest in the wellness mission. The Taj Group of Hotels, which runs the spa brand Jiva, has nine of its 15 worldwide outlets in India. The Oberoi has tied up with Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts to manage six spa properties in India.

The Leela manages four spas in India while the Hyatt runs six under the brand name Hyatt Pure Spa. The spa facility at Park Hyatt, Goa, spread across 36,000 square feet, is internationally acclaimed. Other well-known spa brands are Aura (Park View Hotels) and Rejuve (Bharat Hotels).

The Ananda Spa Resort developed in the Himalayas by New Delhi-based IHHR Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. integrates ayurveda with internationally popular treatments. The company plans to launch a spa-training institute, known as the IHHR Institute, in March. It has got the International Therapy Examination Council (ITEC), the Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (CIBTEC) and the Comite International Desthetique Et De Cosmetologie (CIDESCO) to decide on its curriculum and certification. According to Ashok Khanna, Managing Director, Ananda Spa Resort, the property recorded a 65 per cent
occupancy.

The spa industry is expected to receive $35 billion in the next three years. "The Indian spa industry is offering a mix of traditional ayurvedic as well as Chinese, Thai and Swedish healing techniques.

"This is complemented by the warmth and hospitality of India, making it a preferred spa destination," notes Aashima Sharma, Director (Rooms), Hyatt. To attract more investments for the setting up of spas, the Goa government is planning to offer tax holidays to private players. According to J.P. Singh, Chief Secretary, Goa, the state is drafting a health tourism policy that would also promote spa tourism.

Luxury tourist trains such as the Palace on Wheels and Deccan Odyssey are also working on including spa and wellness treatments to cater to their growing international clientele.

Wellness from abroad

Not to be left behind, the Italians also want to bring their version of good health to the Indian hospitality plate. The Milan-based Domina Hotel Group is planning a major expansion in India with a joint venture for 25 new hotels, with a total value of $600 million (about Dh2.2 billion).

The project will be run as an equal joint venture with real-estate firm Shristi Holding, quoted in the Indian National Stock Exchange, and partner Kanoria Group with offices in India, Germany and Russia.

The Italian company will manage the hotels while the real-estate development will be done by Shristi Corporation. "We are proud to announce the new expansion of our Group in the Indian market," says Ernesto Preatoni, Domina Hotel Group's Chairman. "We are the first Italian operator of the hotel sector to enter the Indian market."

Domina Hotel Group's hotels are represented by three distinct brands: Domina Prestige, Domina Hotel and Domina Inn. The first hotels in India are already under construction and will be marketed under the Vedic Domina Hotels & Resorts brand. The 4-star hotels, spread across India, will use eco-sustainable parameters, and will parade top-of-the-line hi-technology body treatments and wellness services.

Medical tourism is a $40 billion (about Dh146.92 billion) business globally. Josef Woodman, author of Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-class Medical Tourism, couldn't have put it better when he said, "Medical tourism has become a component of the larger global healthcare landscape, and there are business opportunities out there."

Kerala's holistic tourism

Kerala, known to the world as God's Own Country, plans to set up a holistic tourism centre to promote medical tourism and other attractions. According to state tourism minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, "This centre will combine various segments of tourism such as ayurveda, farm tourism and medical tourism."

To make this a reality, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is preparing a comprehensive plan to promote medical tourism in Kerala. "Once the report is submitted we will take concrete steps to promote medical tourism in a big way. There is already a steady inflow of foreign tourists for medical needs. Five years from now, we expect an increase of 100,000 medical tourists every year," says Balakrishnan.

Foreigners are arriving in Kerala's top hospitals in droves for plastic and cosmetic surgery, facial surgery, dental treatments, cosmetology, hip and knee replacement, ophthalmology, voice therapy and obesity treatments.

Balakrishnan believes that Kerala will become one of the most preferred medical tourism destinations in the world by 2010 and Vision 2010 should make this happen. The ambitious plan, prepared by the tourism ministry and the National Accreditation Board, is all upgrading local hospitals to international standards.

The immediate sprucing up of the local infrastructure is also on the cards. According to the secretary of Kerala Tourism, Dr. Venu V, Kerala presents a very different India.

"It is the hottest destination today within India and is growing at 21 per cent annually. The biggest markets include the UK, US, Germany, France, Australia, Spain and Italy." Australia is Kerala's largest emerging inbound market.

It currently receives 12,500 Australians every year and this number is growing by 25 per cent annually. Dr Venu adds that a large percentage of visitors to Kerala are return travellers; undoubtedly an endorsement of the state as a destination of choice.

The Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) has taken the concept of medical value travel (MVT) to newer heights through accreditations and certifications. It is the first Indian hospital to be accredited by the Australian Council for Health Care Standards International (ACHSI).

KIMS received over 17,000 MVT patients from across the world in 2006 for plastic surgery, dental treatment, joint replacement and other medical needs. "Accreditation and certifications are a must for MVT because international insurance companies require this certification to pay their clients after they undergo treatment," notes E.M.Najeeb, executive director of KIMS.

The Kerala government is now planning to map out the hospitals in the state that are fit to welcome tourists for medical purposes. "We also want these private hospitals to keep aside a portion of the income generated through medical tourism for treating poor patients," says Balakrishnan.

The diamond in Kerala's alternate therapy crown is the new Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach Hotel, a cliff-top resort that has started an 8,000-square-foot ayurvedic wellness centre called Divya. It has an open-air meditation hall, swanky rooms and well trained ayurvedic physicians in attendance.