Special Treatments - A hit with Medical Tourists

His friends and relatives thought he had gone dotty when 63-year-old American national William Darling, announced plans to go to India for medical treatment.

An increasing number of foreign patients are coming to India for high-end treatment like cardiac procedures, oncology and neuro - surgeries. This represents a major turning point, since until now; overseas patients came to India for simple or low-risk procedures, such as dental surgeries, discouraged at home by hospitals’ endless waiting lists.

Doctors in the US had diagnosed Mr. Darling as suffering from severe arthritis, a disease that causes pain and loss of movement of the joints. He was advised to undergo hip resurfacing — an alternative to total hip replacement — a high-end procedure, approved only two years back by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US.

“Doctors in the US have little experience with the procedure, while Indian doctors have been performing hip resurfacing for years,” explained Mr. Darling. “The quality of treatment I could receive in India would in fact be much higher than the US, and this too, at a fraction of the price that I would have to pay in the US.”

Hip resurfacing costs as much as Rs. 24.4 lakh in the US, as opposed to Rs. 4 lakh in India. Like Mr. Darling, an increasing number of foreign patients are coming to India for high-end treatment like cardiac procedures, oncology and neuro - surgeries. This represents a major turning point, since until now; overseas patients came to India for simple or low-risk procedures, such as dental surgeries, discouraged at home by hospitals’ endless waiting lists.

“In 2006, 70% of the 1,400 foreign patients who came to Wockhardt, underwent advanced procedures such as joint replacement, heart or spine surgeries,” Wockhardt Hospitals CEO Vishal Bali said. An ageing population, social security systems’ crisis, and soaring healthcare costs in the West, partly explains this new trend. “However, while today around 80% of our patients come from the West, the demand initially came from patients from developing countries who could not get access to quality speciality care,” said Mr. Bali.

After he broke his backbone in 2004, Hasan Changezi underwent four unsuccessful operations in Karachi. He was then referred by his doctor to a spinal surgeon in the UK. “Doctors in the UK were, however, charging close to Rs. 13 lakh for a new surgery,” explains Mr. Changezi. “I found out about Wockhardt Hospital in Bangalore while surfing on the net. The hospital offered non-invasive procedure, a technology not offered in Pakistan, and had spinal surgeons, which would be able to offer me the speciality care I required.”

“We have received close to 20 queries from abroad every day for super speciality treatment over the last three months,” said Mr. Bali. “And patients from developed countries are likely to represent an increasing share of these patients.”

Wockhardt Hospitals Group has partnered with Harvard Medical International (HMI), Boston, USA, in establishing a chain of super specialty hospitals at Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkatta and Nagpur. Several new hospitals / facilities are in the pipeline. With latest technology, multi-disciplinary capability, state of the art facilities, world-class infrastructure and excellent patient care ambience and processes; Wockhardt Hospitals is poised to become the most advanced and progressive healthcare institution in this part of the world.

Joint Commission International (JCI) - the international arm of JCAHO, which accredits top hospitals in USA, has audited Wockhardt hospital at Mumbai in 2005 and approved it. This is a first of its kind recognition for an Indian Superspeciality hospital and confirm that at we adhere to international standards of clinical care, safe environment, medication safety, respect for rights and privacy, international infection control standards and access to dedicated well trained staff.

Wockhardt Hospitals attract a large number of overseas patients from UK, USA Canada and Middle East and they have all gone back very happy with our high quality services at very low cost.

We have created a special division in our hospital to look after international patients – Company Guest Relations persons themselves go to the airport to receive patients at any hour, we can arrange to send a life support ambulance in case the patient needs it. We have modified our rooms for overseas patients and have equipped them with Satellite TV, Fridge, Computer with high speed internet, F&B and laundry service for the companion are all provided in our deluxe rooms. International patients are looked after by specially trained nurses, and facilitated by Guest Relations executives for any special requirements like visa, shopping, tourism packages etc. all through their stay.

Pradeep Thukral
Head - International Marketing,
Wockhardt Hospitals Ltd.,
Wockhardt Towers,
Bandra Kurla Complex,
Mumbai - 400051 INDIA

Telephone number : 91-22-26596006
Fax : 91-22-26527870
Mobile : 91-9819015749
Email : pthukral@wockhardt.com
Website : www.wockhardthospitals.net

This release was published on openPR.