Medical Tourism is a type of tourism where people from a country go to another country for getting some type of medical treatment. It is an immensely growing sector in India. Treatment for almost all types of diseases can be availed here and these healthcare procedures are very low-priced (typically 1/10th the cost) compared to developed western nations with similar or better outcomes. The most popular treatments for international patients that come to India are alternative medicine, cardiac bypass surgery, bone marrow transplant, hip replacement, knee replacement and eye surgery.
According to a popular research by one of the top research firms,
India has the latest medical technologies and high healthcare standards at lower costs, and this is what attracts tourists. It is expected that in 2016, the medical tourism sector in India will become a $2 billion industry. Furthermore, the sector is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30 %.
Positive Impact on medical tourism thanks to e-visa
Foreigners, who come to India for medical treatment, need to get a valid visa along with their passports and other 45 countries including US, Japan, Russia, Singapore, Germany, and Australia. This facility for online visa (or e-visa) is also applicable for medical treatment, along with casual vacations and business trips, and is valid for 30 days. This eliminates the hassle important travel documents. This visa is acquired from an Indian Post or Mission abroad.
But now, online visas have been started by the government of India for and time spent on going to an Indian mission for a visa. The tourists have to apply for visa and pay the visa fees online. They get online confirmation via email within just 3-5 working days.
In just a span of one month (December 2014), 22,000 visashave been issued by the home ministry of India. This is equivalent to the number of VoA (Visa on arrival) issued for the first 11 months of 2014! The high rate of visas issued includes several for those people who are coming to India for medical treatment.
The facility for online application of visas will vastly affect the medical tourism along with other tourism sectors, and will encourage people to come to the country more often by reducing the bureaucracy associated with getting a visa in person. Moreover, since the time taken for visa issuance is reduced, patients can also avail treatment in India in case of medical emergencies. The overall scenario promises to be a big boost for medical tourism in India.
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