Medical Tourism in Goa Essay Example for Free

medical examination examination Tourism in Goa Essaymedical Tourism in Goa Tina D equala TYBBA MES college of Arts, Commerce Management studies Medical Tourism The seven wonders of the world atomic number 18 all too well known. However one drive outt help but marvel at other developments, that have authentic magnifi cently over the years. These unsung heroes be the ones that carry Indias legacy forward. India in a developing coun quiz, but we do non wish to limit ourselves to the meaning of the word that entails developing.If one takes a look at the Medical facilities offered here in India, they would be amazed at the state of the art facilities and gauge of service one receives, that complies to international standards. Particularly if you are an NRI, tourist or overseaser, you can be sure of receiving unprecedented attention. The general man too can now fall upon solutions of world-class health get by with very(prenominal) afford adapted price tags.Health care and touristry seems quite an spotty couple, but with the growing needs in the health-care industry coupled with the idea of a holiday later on, is irresistible and people are looking towards India both for allopathic and ayurvedic treatments. The idea of medical touristry never crossed the Goan mind until the seting up of the Apollo Victor hospital at Margao which is the first super specialty, multi-specialty, tertiary care infirmary in the state. With the advent of this hospital, Goa suddenly woke up to this new concept, which caters to people coming in either for planned treatments or for unplanned treatments.Medical touristry is a recent phenomenon in Goa. Many world class medical hospitals like Apollo and Vivus have been started in Goa, which provide world class facilities at a separate of the corresponding cost abroad. Foreigners from many developed countries prefer to drive to Goa for a variety of treatment ranging from dental cognitive operation, hearing problems, knee r eplacements to even heart surgery. This is a market where Goa has potential for further development and the government should take steps to see that this market can be sustained and increased medical touristry can be promoted in the future.Indias smallest state, Goa, has earned a negative reputation for its drug culture, rave parties, and nude beaches. However, the Ministry of Tourismis trying to reverse this mental picture through its active promotion of medical tourism. The Ministry is making laudable efforts to showcase the states potential, especially in offeringmedical vacationsfortourists who continue to findaffordablehealthcareinsurancea rarity back in their respectivecountries.Considering the thousands oftouristswho flock to Goa annually for its beautiful scenery and its rich architectural heritage, themedicaltourism industryhere is projected to record impressive growth. Tourism is Goas primary industry. It handles 13% of all foreign tourist arrivals in India. Goa has dic kens main tourist seasons winter and summer. In the winter time, tourists from abroad (mainly Europe) come to Goa to enjoy the splendid climate. In the summertime (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across India come to spend the holidays.Tourism is primarily focused on the coastal field of operationss of Goa, with decreased tourist activity inland. Goas tourism contributes to 16% of Indias total foreign exchange earnings. In 2009-10 at that place were more than 2. 5 million tourists reported to have visited Goa, both domestic and foreign and total revenue earned for the fiscal year 2009-10 from tourism is Rs. 5000 crore as against Rs. 4000 crore in the previous year. A major upcoming concept attracting a lot of tourists to Goa is the rise of Medical Tourism in Goa.Dentists in Goa assume that tourists save over 70% on their dental treatment if done here in Goa. Hence they are now offering holiday packages which acknowledge expensive dental treatments too. The Bo oming Medical Tourism. The concept of medical tourism is non a new one. The first recorded instance of medial tourism dates back thousands of years to when Greek pilgrims traveled from all over the Mediterranean to the small territory in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria. This territory was the sanctuary of the healing paragon Asklepios.Epidauria became the original travel destination for medical tourism. Spa towns may be considered an early form of medical tourism. Factors that have led to the recent increase in popularity of medical travel include the lofty cost of health care or wait times for procedures in industrialized nations, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in technology and standards of care in many countries of the world. Medical tourists can come from anywhere in the world, including Europe, the UK, West Asia, Asia, US and Canada.This is because of their large populations, comparatively high wealth, the high expense of health care o r lack of health care options locally, and increasingly high expectations of their populations with respect to health care. Health tourism provides have developed as intermediaries to unite potential medical tourists with provider hospitals and other organizations. It has been started that medical tourism is promoted much more heavily in the United Kingdom than in the United States. A large draw to medical travel is convenience and speed.Countries that operate public health-care systems are often so taxed that it can take enormous time to ready non urgent medical care. The time spent waiting for a procedure such as a hip replacement can be a year or more in Britain and Canada however, in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cuba, Colombia, Philippines or India, a patient could feasible have an operation the day after their arrival. Additionally, patients are finding that insurance either does not cover orthopedic surgery (such as knee/hip replacement) or imposes unreasonable restrictio n on the choice of the facility, surgeon, or prosthetics to be used.Medical tourism for knee/hip replacements has emerged as one of the more widely accepted procedures because of the lower cost and tokenish difficulties associated with the traveling to/from the surgery. Medical tourists may seek essential health care go such as cancer treatment and brain and transplant surgery as well as complementary or elective services such as aesthetic treatments (cosmetic surgery). Ayurveda Treatment Ayurveda which is form of medical treatment originated from India has gained a lot of prominence in European world for health benefits.Ayurveda means life and Veda signifies knowledge. Therefore by its definition Ayurveda lifts itself beyond the realms of diseases and treatments. It treats life as a single composite phenomenon. After Kerala now Goa is one of Indias best destination for combining Tourism with Ayurveda Treatment. A GoanMedicalVacation India is known worldwide for the quality of car diac procedures and joint replacement surgeries. Tourists from all over the world come down to Goa to take in the sights as well as to benefit from Medical amenities obtainable.Goa is uniquely positioned to develop its health tourism sector. AffordableHealthCareInsurance isa Problem for Goan Locals. Whiletouristsrave about themedicaltourismfacilitiesthat Goa offers, Goan locals are feeling the pinch due to the escalatingpricesofmedicaltreatments. There is now a clamor for an improvedhealth caresystem in the state. The average Joe on the street can afford neither the exorbitant rates of the specialtyhospitalsnor basichealth care insurance.Adding to this dilemma is the lack ofuseable clinicalservicesin remote celestial orbits plus the highpricesofmedicationforseniorcitizens Medical tourism has come to be a new assort of tourism so formed in recent times. The following are near reasons why one visits Goa for Medical tourism 1. Variety and abundance of available medical skills Goa i s very well prepared to service foreigners when it comes to health care. just about Goan doctors speak perfect English, a majority of them are also schooled or adroit abroad.While India in general has an universal healthcare system ( meaning that most drugs or procedures are free for the local population) there is also a healthy competition between governmental and privately run hospitals and healthcare institutions for servicing the more wealthy locals with lifestyle procedures (like cosmetic surgery) or visiting foreign tourists (who want to save a dime or two compared to their home countries). If you look around in the tourist belt , you can find stilt of private healthcare providers.Especially the north-western coastal region (Candolim, Calangute and Baga) one can find dental clinics spread all a considerable the coastal belt. In this mentioned area alone I can easily count 30-40 dentists, while larger hospitals mainly only have outlets here, with their main operations to be found in the larger cities like Mapusa, Panaji or even Margao in the south. Major hospitals to consider are for instance the Vrundavan Hospital in Mapusa, Manipal Hospital in Dona Paula, Vintage Hospital in Panaji, Apollo Victor Hospital (very new and a bit more expensive) and NUSI Hospital in/near Margao. Some of the medical services ffered here are General Medicine and Cardiology, Orthopedic Surgery, Pediatrics, Trauma and Critical care, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Endoscopic and Laproscopic Surgery, Gastroenterology and Oncosurgery, Neuro surgery, Cosmetic Surgery, ENT, Urology, Nephrology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Dental, Medical Genetics and Counseling, Respiratory Medicine, Physiotherapy, Dietetics, Alternative and Ayurvedic Medicine. Vaccinations too, can be had in almost every hospital. 2. Quality of Surgery, medical personnel and other amenities This one is a bit hard to describe and has to be seen to be believed.Hospitals here in Goa for sure dont look very sp ecial from the outside. Once inside, and you are in a complete different world. The hygiene in every hospital is generally good. Sometimes you really have to wonder, how they can maintain a hospital so clean in an area that looks like a rubbish dump from the outside. Welcome to India Here especially, looks can be deceiving. Operational devices, x-ray machines, dental equipment and other instruments are of high standard, although not quite on par with Singapore or European ,machines (except the dentists maybe).But you can expect modern facilities and up to date staff and nurses in undefiled uniforms. So for general healthcare services and minor surgeries I wouldnt be afraid to go under the knife here, as most effected procedures didnt change much over the last couple of years. 3. Short Queues or waiting Times Generally, most dentists and hospitals in Goa have very goldbrick waiting times, completely different to healthcare providers in Europe or other developed countries, where y ou sometimes have to make appointments weeks in advance. As a foreigner you can enjoy a very individual and prompt reception.Dentists usually willing arrange appointments only 2-3 days away, convenient enough to light a procedure done during a 2-week holiday. The same applies for consultations without appointments with specialists. As a paying customer you usually dont have to wait long in crowded waiting areas. The few times we had to visit a doctor it was all between 10-15 minutes of waiting times. You also dont have the feeling that the doctors are very pushy and want to have you out within 5 minutes of their time. A checkup is done very thorough and in an individual manner.The stuff is generally helpmately and genuinely interested in your well-being. 4. Low Costs of Generic and Branded Medicine Most medicines can be bought here without prescriptions either right in your local pharmacy or ordered by them if not in stock. Goa is dotted with thousands of pharmacies at every corn er. Again the tourist areas from Candolim to Baga have the highest density of pharmacies, while I found Mapusa further to the north-east the best stocked. The best thing prices for medicines are unbending So you dont have to haggle like with everything else in India.Prices are printed on the boxes of medicines and thats exactly what you pay Another specialty some branded items are sold here already as generics, even though in most other countries you still can only profane the branded (more expensive) product. One example, a modern tacrolimus-based skin ointment is anywhere else in Asia only available as the branded version (Protopic) and will cost you anything from 300. 000 Rupiah in Indonesia, around 1. 200 Baht in Phuket, 2. 150 Peso in the Philippines to 80-100 SGD in Singapore. No genericsavailable. Buy the real thing or bequeath it.Not here in India A generic version (Tacroz Forte) be a mere Rs 320 for 10g. That is only 20% of the price in Indonesia or Thailand, 15% of the price in the Philippines or 10% of a similar product in Singapore. Isnt that amazing? Talk about globalization and how you can accomplishment it for yourself I found that true for other specific medicines as well. Here are just a few examples for other more common products lap Aid wash proof Rs 20 for 10 pieces Immodium Rs 20 for 10 capsules Paracetamol 500 Rs 14 for 10 capsules Vitamin B complex Rs 15 for 10 capsulestopical Antibiotic Spray Rs 195 (40g) Antibiotic Skin Cream Rs 50 (10g) Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Rs 50 for 10 capsules Now I just wish, they would be able to send all those cheap medicines abroad to my next travel destinations 5. Low Consultation and Doctor fees As with everything else in India, one can compare prices and get an impression of the doctor for their surgery first, before committing to a procedure. Luckily the initial costs are very low (for dental procedures, the first checkup is generally free of charge, while for other consultations the fees are quit e low, see below).Costs for surgery is generally only a small percentage to health care costs if done in Europe, Australia or the US. I was in Singapore once and was in awe over their low health care costs compared to India. There, major plastic surgeries were nearly dirt cheap. For minor surgeries however, you could save even more, considering acquiring it done here in India. One example a friend from Singapore visited us here in Goa, to get a cyst removed on her wrist. While the same surgery would have cost between SGD 1. 200-1. 600, the same procedure was only around SGD 300-400 here in Goa.All with similar quality, aftercare and all costs included. That is only 25% of the cost compared with Singapore I had some dental work done here in Goa, fillings and tooth cleaning, all done very professionally and on short notice. As mentioned to a higher place, to consult a specialist, you dont have to pay a fortune here. From my own and my friends experience and what other friends and rel atives abroad told me, here are some examples of consultation fees Dentist First Consultation free of charge General Practitioner Rs 100-250 per Visit Dermatology Rs 100-200 per VisitOrthopedist Rs 250 per Visit For minor surgery, like the above mentioned cyst removal, here are some example prices Orthopedic Surgeon Charges Rs 5,000 per surgery Anesthetic Charges Rs 1,500 per surgery Operation Theater Charges Rs 2,300 per surgery Hospital crinkle per day Rs 1,000-2,000 for common ward, depending on hospital Hospital bed per day Rs 4,000-7,000 for private room, depending on hospital Here are some dental examples candy Ionomer Filling Rs 960 Composite Resin Filling Rs 1,600 Porcelain to Metal Crown Rs 7,200- 10,500Stellon/Fibre Glass/Travelon Dentures Rs 12,000-24,000 Metal/Invisible Braces Rs 24,000-44,000 Conclusion Goa is an interesting location for getting your health propped up and getting those long postponed surgeries done. You have modern facilities, short waiting times an d very affordable prices for procedures, hospital services and medicines. Over that you will probably recover much faster, with a holiday in an exotic location added as a bonus. These days with the global financial crisis upon us, prices for flights and package deals to Goa are as low as they can get.So many people are flocking to Goa now, to benefit from the low costs the most. Some people even try to strike a deal with their health insurance provider, either to cover parts of their costs or acknowledging an otherwise not possible surgery. As with everything in India , one has to be aware of some pitfalls too while medicine prices are generally fixed, this cant be said about the services and hospital procedures. But there is a good competition, so one can comfortably look around, ask and compare prices before committing to anything.In short, there is a broad variety of options to choose from here. One can talk to different doctors and if in doubt, stick with a larger and well-know n hospital instead of a small private clinic. With the facilities Goa can offer, it could be easily converted into a centre of excellence for Medical Tourism. Add to it, the flavour of Goan hospitality, medical tourism could be made very attractive. We therefore have an excellent opportunity to market health care in Goa, especially to the Britishers who consist of 60 per cent of the total tourists arriving in Goa.