New Delhi
23 July 2005
Long wait times and rising costs of medical treatment abroad have
conspired to help New Delhi launch a diplomatic offensive of a different kind as India
leverages its low-cost superspeciality healthcare and tourism potential to woo foreign
nationals looking for cheaper and quicker medical attention. Most hail from Afghanistan
and South Asia although Americans and Europeans are not far behind.
Even before July 8, when the government decided to introduce medical visa to capitalise
on the new-found interest in India, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in Delhi
was receiving upto 800 foreign nationals every six months. At last count Escorts had
serviced patients of 14 nationalities, many of whom belonged to the industrialised
economies of the world.
It is interesting foreigners should flock to India despite little or no publicity, observed an
Escorts official. No doubt the cheaper cost of healthcare helped. An open heart surgery in
India costs one-fourth of the fee charged in the US; the bill works out to be still cheaper
even after adding the cost of boarding and a sightseeing trip to the Taj Mahal or other
destination of choice.
A Health Canada official told this newspaper via email that while urgent care
requirements are generally relatively quickly met, wait times for non-urgent/elective
services have been problematic. A 2003 survey indicated that most individuals reported
waiting three months or less for specialised services.
"Median waiting times for specialised services was four weeks for specialist visits, 4.3
weeks for non-emergency surgery and three weeks for diagnostic tests," the official said.
Although there are no institutional arrangements between Canada and India, the official
said there was a scope for hospitals in both countries to collaborate directly.
Such is the magnitude of the problem that Canada is providing a $5.5 billion Wait Times
Reduction Fund over 10 years to reduce wait times by training and hiring more health
professionals. "The federal budget for 2005 is also providing $15 million in direct federal
funding for national wait times initiatives," the official added.
The medical visa announced by the government would be issued to all foreign nationals
including nationals of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who come to India for
medical treatment and are required to live in the country for an extended period. The
initial period of such a visa would be one year or for the period of treatment, whichever
is less.
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