India has emerged as one of the most favourite destinations for availing of medical treatment in recent times. The country’s export of health services includes telemedicine as an important part. It has been facilitated by the presence of highly qualified professionals, world-class infrastructure comparable to most advanced western countries, low cost of treatments, personalized care coupled with the use of traditional systems of medicine that include Yoga and Ayurveda. All of this, combined with Indian government initiatives to promote India as a healthcare hub, has yielded fruit. Advances in Information and Communication Technology have played a major role in establishing India as a forerunner in this segment. Thus making it a favorite choice for patients of the MENA region, Africa, CIS states, the US, and the UK, and is favored above some of the more advanced ASEAN countries.
Some hospitals and cities have especially made a mark when it comes to their reputation among international patients. Notable names in this category include Apollo group of hospitals with their headquarters in Chennai, Medanta- the Medicity in Gurgaon, Wockhardt group of hospitals, Manipal group of hospitals, Artemis hospital in Gurgaon to name a few. These hospitals have doctors recognized highly in the medical fraternity worldwide with qualifications of the highest standard and hence have won the trust of patients worldwide. These hospitals have made heavy investments in developing state-of-the-art medical infrastructure and constantly strive to attain the topmost standards of medical practice possible. One of the main advantages of these hospitals is their location. They are usually situated in metro cities that have good flight connectivity with international destinations. This makes it easy for the patients to reach their intended destinations without having to travel much. It is usually preferred as the patient is already suffering and wants to avoid long travel times.
Statistics point that more than 90% of international patients get treated in only a handful of hospitals located in only a few states of India. The most famous city among these is Chennai which is considered the medical capital of India. It accounts for many of the patients that travel to India for medical purposes. It is sad as India has a large number of hospitals spread across various states. These are the hospitals that are on par with the most visited hospitals having professional high-quality healthcare providers with low costs of treatments. One such state is etching its name in the medical tourism category in Gujarat. This state, mainly famous for business tycoons, is slowly making inroads in the international healthcare industry. The major cities of Gujarat comprise Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot, among others. Many single-specialty, multispeciality hospitals housing famous superspecialists, are located in these cities. Ahmedabad is the commercial capital of Gujarat and recently State government has made tremendous efforts to establish it as a medical hub. It is complemented by Tourism Ministry, in making efforts to get maximum international flight connectivity. Now there are direct flights from Nairobi to Ahmedabad, a six-hour flight, operating twice weekly.
Ahmedabad boasts of having some famous doctors that have been conferred with the highest awards. Like the Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest national award for a doctor, the Padmashree award is the fourth highest civilian award in India. Also, some doctors served as personal doctors of the ex-President of India. With such highly acclaimed doctors and top-notch facilities, Gujarat has recently become the most upcoming healthcare destination of India. These doctors have the skills to perform some of the most complex surgeries done only in a few cities in India and few places around the world. The other advantages of Gujarat are shorter commute distances, low cost of accommodation, and easy accessibility to day-to-day needs. It also has some famous tourist attractions. Ahmedabad has a distinction of being recognized as the first Indian city to achieve the title of UNESCO World Heritage City. It also has some of the finest institutes for study like the Indian Institute of Management which recently was awarded the best B-school of India and is well recognized worldwide.
The hospitals in Gujarat have top-notch facilities and cover all the major faculties, hence catering to most patients. It is a very famous destination for patients from neighboring cities of Gujarat and neighboring states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Medical facilities include complex surgeries like cardiac surgeries, pediatric surgeries, brain and spine surgeries, gastrointestinal surgeries, surgeries for resecting cancerous tumors, and elective surgeries like knee and hip replacement. Some notable names include Apollo Hospital, Zydus Hospital, HCG hospital which is famous for cancer care, Apex Heart Institute, Epic hospital, and many other semi-specialty and single-specialty hospitals. Apart from these, many low-cost affordable hospitals with good infrastructure, have sprung up in Gujarat. They serve people of lower-income strata thus, making sure that this class of people is not denied better medical facilities for lack of money. Recently medical tourists from the African continent are preferring Gujarat and especially Ahmedabad as a destination for their medical problems. These patients usually belong to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Patients from the Middle East and other CIS countries are also turning towards Gujarat for their medical needs. Many patients are now opting for Gujarat for comprehensive cancer care. There are advanced facilities available for different modes of treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.
Apart from all of the above-listed benefits, one cannot ignore the fact that Gujarat is considered the Pharmacy capital of India. Many major drug companies have their research and manufacturing units in Gujarat. Hence, the patient’s medicine requirements are easily met. The major hospitals and drug companies work in synchrony to achieve desired results in patients. Some of the companies that have their headquarters in Gujarat are Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (the largest pharmaceutical company in India), Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd., Intas Pharmaceuticals, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Alembic pharmaceuticals, among others.
India has come a long way after attaining independence and has achieved great success in almost all scientific backgrounds. One can get a wide choice ranging from traditional systems of medicine like Yoga and Ayurveda that have been in practice for more than 5000 years to the most modern allopathic systems of medicine with advanced surgical and medical management. Adopting a holistic approach and providing the best medical facilities. Apart from the most well-known cities, such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru, Ahmedabad has also joined the race to provide low-cost healthcare to patients from all over the world.
‘Atithi Devo bhava’ meaning guests are akin to God, is a cultural tradition that has been in practice in India since ancient times. In recent times, the same tradition has been extended to patients from around the world to alleviate their pain and suffer at affordable costs.
