Why India is a boon for Australians seeking treatment abroad?

Comparing the healthcare systems of two of the world’s biggest countries highlights the changes we can make to improve the infrastructure in our country while bringing to the fore some of our potential strengths. While prima facie, it might appear that Australia has perfected its healthcare spending, access, and infrastructure, the rising number of Australians seeking treatment abroad shows cracks in the uthopia

No doubt, Australia holds a significant edge over India when it comes to healthcare services. Perhaps the difference in the availability of doctors per 1000 (0.759 for India and 3.587 for Australia) is reflected in the difference between the average life expectancy in the two countries (69 years for India and 82.7 years Australia). However, it is important to note how unfair this comparison is. Challenges imposed by a developing economy exert a significant influence over the healthcare system in India. Australia, on the other hand, already a “developed nation,” has its own challenges. And this is, precisely, where India comes into picture.

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.

A number of factors, together, have led to this substantial rise in medical tourists in the country, especially from Australia – lower costs of medical treatments as compared to the patients’ home countries, highly skilled doctors, trained professional staff with an ability to provide a ‘home away from home’ stay to the patients, internationally accredited hospitals, world class technology, and other logistics such as cheap accommodation costs. Additionally, the growing popularity of alternative medicine such as Ayurveda and Yoga in the world, and India’s storied history has the originator of those, has further piqued medical tourism from Oz.

For the purpose of comparison, compare the following: The cost of a Spinal Fusion surgery, in any NSW Public Hospital in Australia, can run upto AU$ 53,700. The same procedure, including travel costs and accommodation for the patient and one attendee, in India can be done in only AU$ 7,800. Similarly, knee replacement surgery can cost upto AU$ 19,700 in a NSW Public Hospital in Australia, when the same can be done under AU$ 6,500 in India, all travel and accommodation costs included.

It is important to note that the low cost of these services does not mean low quality of services. Healthcare is cheap in India as compared to other “western”/”developed” countries because of lower labour costs. A large population means a large batch of readily available pool of labour – doctors, nurses, janitors, etc – and this brings down the cost per head per hour, especially when compared to the West. Further, low labour costs bring down the taxation on the same since the two are directly correlated. Along the same lines, hospitals dealing with a large and steady influx of medical tourists need to obtain certifications and accreditations from the Government of India, a number of which deal with proper hygiene and sanitation. Further, hospitals in general need to maintain a certain standard of cleanliness at their premises if they want to be internationally recognised. Again, cheap healthcare does not mean substandard sanitation and dirty premises; it is because of cheap labour costs.

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 healthcare service providers in the world, and a prime alternative for Australians seeking affordable and excellent treatments by experts abroad.

Eye Care Treatments and Procedures in India

As much as technology and modernisation have made our lives easier, equally have theygiven rise to lifestyle diseases.Particularly, as a result of the increased exposure of our eyes to various screens – laptops, phones, etc. – there has been an explosion of cases needing specialised care. Fortunately, a number of top ophthalmology hospitals in India are more than adequately equipped to handle this influx of patients. These hospitals employ advanced medical facilities and highly skilled staff to provide complete and thorough care to the patients – from accurately identifying the causes and containing the risk factors to preventing further complications. Not only is India equipped to handle its domestic patients, being globally recognised as the hub for the very best hospitals for ophthalmology treatment, the country sees a steady influx of tourists from United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, etc., for a number of issues ranging from cataract surgery to squint surgery.

Greater health awareness coupled with ease of access to corresponding healthcare services have contributed to the growth of the Indian healthcare industry, with the sector expected to grow to US$ 280 billion by 2020. It is important to note that as much as globalisation and the increase in international tourism have contributed to the exponential growth of this sector, there have also been several notable domestic factors that have contributed to this growth.

• An increase in urbanisation have also contributed to an increase in problems associated with modern living. This, in turn, has led to a shift from communicable diseases to lifestyle diseases. The demand for specialised care for the diagnosis and treatments of eye disorders have also contributed to the growth of the sector.

• Ophthalmology hospitals and clinics in India offer complex procedures at an incredibly affordable rate. While a bilateral cataract surgery procedure can cost more than US $7,000 in the United Kingdom,the same procedure could be done under US$ 3,000-4,000 in India. It is important to note that the low cost of these services does not mean low quality of services. Healthcare is cheap in India as compared to other “western”/”developed” countries because of lower labour costs. A large population means a large batch of readily available pool of labour – doctors, nurses, janitors, etc – and this brings down the cost per head per hour, especially when compared to the West. Further, low labour costs bring down the taxation on the same since the two are directly correlated.

• Investments from the private sector into the healthcare industry in general but in the Ophthalmology, Optometry, and Orthopticssector of that industry in particular has also grown over the years. Many big players such as Apollo, Fortis, etc. are setting up specialised centres for eye care across the country. Since it’s the capital, setting up the best eye care hospital in Delhi is priority for both the public and private sector.

In a country where nearly 15 million of the 1.27 billion people are blind, mostly due to cataract, one of the most easily treatable causes of blindness and low vision, setting up proper centers for the care and treatment of these ailments, along with creating an adequate number of physicians with expertise to tackle the challenges presented by a growing economy, has been a high priority for the government. With the help of the World Bank, Indialaunched the Cataract Blindness Control Project (CBCP) in 1994 to improve the quality of cataract surgery and expand the coverage of tribal and isolated areas for blindness prevention, education and treatment.Meanwhile, recognising the incredible potential of growth and business, the private stakeholders have more than doubled their investments in setting up the infrastructure to make the most of the market.

With consistent efforts by the government to strengthen the domestic infrastructure and incredible growth opportunities across different segments supported by increasing awareness and changing lifestyles, India is set to become a global hub for eye care in the coming years.

The Government’s Role in Driving the Indian Healthcare Industry Forward

To drive the growth of the healthcare industry even forward, the government has launched a number of policies and programs. With the National Health Policy, for example, it aims to, domestically, achieve the highest possible level of health and wellbeing for citizens of all ages, and internationally, develop India as a global healthcare hub. It approved the continuation of National Health Mission with a budget of US$ 4.40 billion under the Union Budget 2019-20 and has opened collaboration with the private sector to improve the ease of access to and quality of healthcare services within the country.

Launched fairly recent (on 23 September 2018, to be precise), the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), has already made considerable impact. Around 9,00,000 patients have received benefits of worth US$ 167.71 million and many more are expected to soon. Advertised as the world’s largest health insurance scheme fully financed by the government, it aims to provide comprehensive primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare services to over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families.

The National Nutrition Mission, aimed at reducing the level of stunting and under-nutrition, has received a budget of US$ 13.16 billion for a three-year period. The policy aims to gradually work towards the attainment of malnutrition free India by 2022 by covering 315 identified districts in the first year, 235 districts in the second year, and the remaining districts in the third.

Mission Indradhanush was launched in December 2014 with the target of ensuring full immunization coverage for at least 90% of the country by December 2018. 201 districts across 28 states in the country have been identified under the “high focus” category. These have the highest number of partially immunized and immunized children.

Further, schemes and policies such as the RashtriyaSwasthyaBima Yojana, that aims to promote and provide health insurance across the country, and the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, that aims at increasing the quality of tertiary healthcare capacity in medical education, research, and clinical care, and many more, are supported by an increase in allocation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Union Budget 2019-2020. The ministry, and the policies coordinated by it, have seen an increase by 16.28 per cent year-on-year to US$ 8.51 billion.

The healthcare delivery system in India is driven by two players – public and private – which is necessary to support such a large population. To attract, invite, and drive collaboration from the private sector, the government has launched various incentives. For example, it has increased the tax holiday under section 80-IB for private healthcare providers in non-metros for minimum of 50 bedded hospitals. Further, all healthcare education and training services are exempted from service tax; income tax has been exempted for 15 years for domestically manufactured medical technology products; and more.

India has strong bilateral relations in the healthcare sector with over 50 countries, as of August 2019. This international cooperation is aimed to encourage joint training and manpower development, exchange of experts, exchange of information and knowledge, etc. Additionally, to ease the influx of international medical tourists to the country, India has deconvoluted the visa process for over 130 countries. Highly skilled professionals, ease of travel, cheap and affordable services have given India an edge in the medical tourism sector of the healthcare industry and it is the fastest growing premium medical tourism destination in Asia, attracting patients from all over the world but in particular from its neighbours such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. Since India is expected to grow by 22-25 per cent in this sector, new markets are sure to emerge, especially with the government now working in close collaboration with the private sector to drive this growth forward. For example, special tax holidays and incentives are offered to hospitals and wellness centers that deal with medical tourists.

With an increase in revenue and an expected growth to US$ 280 billion by 2020, stakeholders are looking to explore the latest trends in the healthcare industry in order to make positive impact to their businesses. The hospital industry itself, a rather small portion of the overall healthcare industry, is expected to reach US$ 132.84 billion by FY22. The government’s open collaboration with the private sector to provide cheap, affordable, safe, and effective healthcare services to its citizens and beyond has also helped drive the growth forward leading to ample investment opportunities in the sector.