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BUSINESS The coming medical tourism boom The medical tourism industry, estimated at around Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) annually, is growing at a whopping 30 percent a year in India. India's cost advantage, medical expertise, and talented professionals, offered by many world-class hospitals in India, attracted more than 80,000 Non-Resident Indians and foreign nationals to the country this year. Bypass surgery in India costs between $2,000 and $5,000; a similar operation in the United States costs between $15,000 and $40,000. According to estimates, medical tourism can contribute Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 50 billion to Rs 100 billion) by 2012. Major hospitals like Apollo and the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre have seen a surge in the arrival of patients from abroad. Apollo Hospitals, which has treated over 95,000 international patients since its inception in 1983, recently said it witnesses a 30 percent rise in the number of international patients every year. On November 19, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, medical establishments, and the state government set up the Medical Tourism Council to promote low-cost and high-quality medical services. Text: Adur Pradeep Medical tourism second fastest growing sector India can earn $1 billion from medical tourism The world's fastest growing tourist centre
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