Magazine 2017
International Peer-Reviewed Journal
RESEARCH HORIZONS, VOL. 7 SEPT. 2017
MEDICAL TOURISM: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
FERTILITY TOURISM
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Twinkle Sanghavi
ABSTRACT
The current paper makes an attempt to review the Indian scenario with regards to Medical tourism. It first
explains how tourism has now moved away from its traditional meaning of holidaying and now includes
holidays with medical care. The advances in technological shifts allows for patient mobility and the
rapid advances in obtaining information from across the world through the internet helps individuals
make better decisions regarding health care. The paper emphasizes the role of fertility tourism and
describes how these health care travel programmes are packaged. It concludes with the roles of
government, health care industry and travel industry in promoting fertility tourism.
Keywords : Assistant Reproductive Technology, Surrogacy, diagnostic center, corporate hospital.
Introduction
Globalisation has cemented the way for many countries for opening their health system to greater cross-border
movement of patients. Healthcare has become the most crucial and vital need in the present dynamic and
stressful life.
Healthcare facilities are not available everywhere, if available, facilities are provided at very expensive cost
which cannot be afforded by all. The world population is aging and becoming more affluent at rates that
surpass the availability of quality healthcare resources. In addition, out of pocket medical costs of critical and
elective procedures continue to rise, while nations offering universal care and faced with ever-increasing resource
burdens. These drivers are forcing patients to pursue cross-border healthcare options either to save money or
to avoid long waits of treatment.
This is where the concept of medical tourism emerges.
Medical tourism can be defined as the process of travelling outside the country of residence for receiving
medical care. Growth in the popularity of medical tourism has captured the attention of policy- makers,
researchers and the media. Originally, the term referred to travel of patient from less- developed countries to
developed nations in pursuit of the treatments not available in their homeland.
Today we are experiencing both qualitative and quantitative shifts in patient mobility, as people travel from
richer to less –developed countries in order to access health services. Such shift is mostly driven by the relative
low cost of treatment in less developed nations, the availability of inexpensive flights and increased marketing
and online consumer information about the availability of medical services.
What really puts the word “Tourism’ in medical tourism concept is that people often stay in the foreign country
after the medical procedure. Travellers can thus take the advantage of their visit by sightseeing, taking day trip
or participating in any other traditional tourism activities.
Medical Tourism in India
It is estimated that worldwide tourism is growing at a rate of 15-25% with rates highest in North, Southeast and
South Asia. The Indian medical tourism is expected to reach $6 billion by end of 2018, with the number of
people arriving to India. India is one of the first countries to recognise the potential of medical tourism and
today is leading destination for global medical tourists.
Medical tourism in India is one of the best options available to people across the globe. Millions come every
year to get treated and then enjoy their recuperative holidays across India. People from different occupations
cutting across the entire span of the globe come to India to have their treatments done with peace of mind.
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International Peer-Reviewed Journal
RESEARCH HORIZONS, VOL. 7 SEPT. 2017
India provides world class medical facilities with hospitals and specialized multi-speciality health centres providing
their expertise in the areas of cosmetic surgery, dental care, heart surgeries, coronary bypass, heart check- up,
valve replacements, knee replacements, eye surgeries, Indian traditional treatment like ayurveda therapies and
much more, practically covering every aspects of medicine combining modern treatments with traditional
experience. India is placed among the top three medial tourism destinations in Asia, mainly due to the low-
cost of treatment, quality health - care infrastructure and availability of highly skilled doctors.
Top speciality for medical travellers in India:
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Cosmetic surgery
Dentistry
Cardiovascular
Orthopaedics
Cancer
Weight loss
Scan, tests, health screening and second opinions
Reproductive (fertility, IVF, Women’s health)
Reproductive Tourism/ Fertility Tourism
India is becoming the outstanding player in the global industry of reproductive tourism, in which infertile
people across international borders inquire about Assistant Reproductive Technology (ART).
As an integral part of the growing medical industry, the fertility industry is slated to bring in additional revenue.
Although there are no accurate figures for the number of individuals who travel to India for ARTs, including
surrogacy.
Surrogacy
Surrogacy is an arrangement between a women and a couple or individual to carry and deliver a baby. Women
or couples who choose surrogacy often do so because they are unable to conceive due to missing or abnormal
uterus, have experienced multiple pregnancy losses, or have had multiple in vitro fertilization attempts that
have failed.
It is estimated that the surrogacy business alone is worth$6 billion. ART clinic are no longer concentrated in
metropolitan and big cities, but are also appearing in smaller towns and cities that otherwise lack even basic
civic amenities and necessary health care facilities. The ‘phenomenal growth’ of this sector is also demonstrated
by the fact that the international umbrella organisation for infertility consumers, the international Consumer
Support for Infertility.
The ARTs industry is pegged on the movement of babies, reproductive body parts and women’s caring and
reproductive labour, both as egg donors and surrogates from one country to another, resulting in the ‘globalisation
of motherhood’ which impacts both women who mother and those who enable others to do so.
The main reasons for fertility tourism are legal prohibitions or regulations of the sought procedure in the home
country, as well as lower costs in the destination country.
Promotion of Fertility Tourism
To promote the fertility industry specially the surrogacy the marketing is done in various ways on net some of
the analysis is given below-
The tag lines that one can scroll down on net are
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“First world treatment at third world price”
XYZ “ We have combined out medical package with travel to Bikaner, a city in Rajasthan, India “ what
more you wish if your treatment is combined with fun and pleasure.”
“ Infertile?
·
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No problem!
Fly to India,
Enjoy the sun, sea and the exotic country side.....
And have a baby too.
th
World class facilities, world class doctors, 1//4 Cost, no legal Hurdle,
.
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..and we speak English too!”
Hope for the Childless Couples
Where hope turns into reality
Having a child is not a dream anymore
We are LGBT friendly Clinic etc.
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Royal Package include following services:
Person= 1 patient and 2 accompanying person. For every extra day, you will be charged as per package
charges.
1.
2.
3.
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Airport Pick-up and drop at airport after your treatment by our executive.
One company executive will accompany you from arrival till departure.
Total appointment and co- ordination of
Doctors
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Diagnostic centres
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Hospitals
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Arrangement for operation theatre if required
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Provisions for all medicines
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Travel assistant like air ticketing, reservation, arrangement with private tour operator if you are interested.
Indian foods like Muglai, South Indian, Sea food & Seasonal Fruits.
Visit to shopping malls for shopping and visit to multiplex theatre for entertainment if required
Laundry arrangements
Transportation by A/C station wagon car, with driver till your treatment.
Cell phone will be provided by the company to you along with all emergency telephone no & should be
return before your departure back home. (You pay as you talk bases.)
1
1
0. Five star hotel accommodation or 3 bedroom, hall furnished apartment with A/C.
1. Pre-treatment or post- treatment, sightseeing by road or by rails to Goa (well- known beaches) Ajanta and
Ellora (Historical place). Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar (Hill stations) as time permits and for as many
days possible.
5
0% discount only on service charge for any extra patient.
Favourable Environment for Fertility Tourism
India has many advantages.
ü
ü
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Coast advantage
Hospitals equipped with international standards
Most of the Indian doctors and staff has world class exposure
Fluent English which is connecting language globally
Many exotic tourist point
Centre for Yoga and ayurveda
Cheap labour
A1 treatment to foreigners
Booming of fertility Industry
Uneducated woman’s
Lack of legal procedures etc.
Challenges faced by the Fertility Tourism.
ü
ü
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No strong Government Support to promote Fertility Tourism
Lack of co-ordination among various players in the industry- airline operator, hotels and hospitals
The negative perception about India with regard to public sanitation, hygiene, standards or prevalence of
contagious diseases
ü
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No proper accreditation and regulation system for hospitals
Lack of uniform pricing policy across hospitals
International Peer-Reviewed Journal
RESEARCH HORIZONS, VOL. 7 SEPT. 2017
ü
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Strong competition from many other players
Lack of insurance policies for this sector
Though India’s booming commercial surrogacy tourism is on the point of collapse after government plans to
introduce new regulation banning foreigners from hiring Indian surrogates
In October 2015, Indian embassies stopped issuing medical visas allowing foreigners to enter the country for
the purposes of hiring a surrogate mother. The Indian Council of Medical Research has also banned clinics from
offering such services to foreigners.
What was a $2.3 billion industry will collapse. The government says that the lack of a legal framework has
allowed surrogates to be under paid and exploited by clinics, which charge between $25,000 and $50,000 for
the safe delivery of a baby. Surrogates get between $4,000 and $6,500 from foreign couples and between
$
3,000 and $5,000 from Indian couples.
Conclusion:
There are certain ways in which the healthy medical tourism can be promoted and they are
1)
The Role of Government:-
The government of India must act as a regulator to institute a uniform grading and accreditation for hospitals
to build consumer trust it should also act as facilator to encourage private investment in medical infrastructure
and in policy making for improving medical tourism the government should reduce beerier in getting
medical visa for patients
2)
Holistic medical end diagnostic centre within the corporate hospitals:-
Most of the big tertiary hospitals are opening up holistic centres within the premises with yoga and meditation
programmes along with naturopathy,herbal medicines and homeopathy departments
3)
Setting up National level bodies:-
To market India’s specialised health care products in the world and also address the various issues
confronting the corporate health care sector leading private hospitals across the country are planning to
set up national level body on the lines of National Association Of Software and Service Companies.
References :
Anupama Sharma (2013) “ Medical Tourism :Emerging Challenges and Future Prospects”. International
Journal of Business and Management intervention Volume 2,PP.21-23
C.Gobalakrishnan (2015)”Sociology of Medical Tourism”,MJP Publishers Chennai.
Bookman, M. & Bookman, K. (2007). “Medical Tourism in Developing Countires”, New York, NY: Palgrave
macmillan.
Baski Ajay, Verma, A.K (2013) Domestic Medical Tourism in India: some facts. Journal of Hospitality
Management and Tourism. Vol.4(2), pp. 2958
Annette B. Ramírez de Arellano, .Patients Without Borders: The Emergence of Medical Tourism. 37
International Journal Of Health Services 193(2007).
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Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology, Maniben Nanavati Women’s College
Email: [email protected]
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