With its highly skilled and trained professionals, ease of travel, quality healthcare services, India has steadily risen in the ranks of premium healthcare service providers in the world. So much so that according to a report published by the Ministry of Commerce, the medical tourism industry is expected to reach $9 billion in 2020; so much so that the Ministry of Tourism reports a 166 per cent jump on the number of people entering India on medical visas – from 75, 688 in 2014 to 201,333 in 2016. Of these, though, the exact number of medical tourists travelling to India for cosmetic surgery exclusively is not clear. While the country sees a steady influx of tourists from United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, etc., most bundle cosmetic procedures with their normal travel itinerary. Experts agree that the Indian cosmetic surgery sector is growing between 20 to 30 percent, however, due to a lack of study and surveys in the field, along with the aforementioned factors, the exact number is unknown.
It is important to note that as much as globalisation and the increase in international tourism have contributed to the impressive growth of this sector, there have also been several other notable factors that have contributed to this growth.
● Cosmetic surgery clinics in India offer complex procedures at an incredibly affordable rate. According to Dr. Mukul Dabholkar, a Bandra-based dentist, a full mouth rehabilitation with bridgework, crowns and laminates would cost approximately US$ 39,000 in the United Kingdom. The same procedure could be done in US$ 12,600 in India. A Botox shot in India costs about US$ 5.56 per unit; in US it can cost about US$ 70 per unit.
● Though cosmetic surgery and various other associated procedures have been prevalent in India for over four decades, they have always been mentioned in hush-hush tones. This is changed over the last few years, as purchasing power of the Indian middle class has increased by leaps and bounds. Once the privileged Indian upper class was perhaps the sole client of the plethora of highly skilled cosmetic surgeons in the country. That is no longer the case.
● India is not only home to a number of talented cosmetic surgeons running their own clinics, several hospitals, especially in Mumbai, offer cosmetic procedures at cost effective rates. Bombay Hospital and Medical Research Center, Asian Heart Institute, Wockhardt Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital, to name a few. In fact, Dr. Mohan Thomas, a cosmetic surgeon who qualified in the United States and is now practicing in India, calls Mumbai the cosmetic surgery mecca. A member of the national advisory tourism council under the Ministry of Tourism, he notes how up until two years ago Chennai captured a giant share of the Indian cosmetic surgery market because of low fees and operating costs, but that has changed now. Mumbai is not just the entertainment capital of the country, it also the cosmetic surgery capital. If one to believe the grapevines, there is perhaps a relation there.
Streamlined processes, advanced technologies, state-of-the-art infrastructures, specialised & interdisciplinary care, along with highly knowledgeable and skilled doctors, supported by a thoroughly trained and compassionate staff makes India one of the premium destinations for cosmetic surgery in the world. However, the sector is also quite unregulated. Lack of governmental oversight has been reported by many experts; and while in a country such a India, where the healthcare delivery system is itself delivered by both private and public stakeholders, some government initiatives and policy support is, of course, necessary. Fortunately, the government recognises this and is working on drafting several legislations for the same.
With consistent efforts by the government to regulate and strengthen the sector and incredible investment opportunities for private stakeholders, supported by changing lifestyles and increased purchasing power of the common man, India is set to become a global hub for cosmetic surgery services in the coming years.
No comments:
Post a Comment