‘Medical tourism won’t be hit by Obama’

US president Barack Obama’s asked Americans not visit India for “cheap” healthcare but city hospitals are seeing a rise in the number of American citizens, who are flying down for healthcare. Many doctors feel that the comment won’t affect medical tourism in India.

Sydney Gambill, 59, a resident of North Carolina, USA and a nurse by profession doesn’t agree with what her country’s president had to say about Indian health care. She is recuperating at Fortis hospital after a successful knee replacement surgery. She said, “If it was affordable there, I would have surely got operated in America.”

Dr Lloyd Nazareth, COO, Fortis Hospitals said, “We are seeing a healthy rise in foreign tourists at the rate of 30-35%. Most of the American patients coming for treatment say that they prefer India because for the same high quality healthcare in America, they have to mortgage their house or take a huge loan.”

Dr Sanjiv Badhwar, consultant ENT, head and neck surgeon at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani said, “Indian health-care is at par and sometimes better in comparison to American health-care and that is why more people are coming to our country.”

Dr Shashank Shah, laparoscopic surgeon and member of International development committee of the American Society of metabolic and bairitric surgery, said, “ The foreign patients coming to India are mostly challenging cases that were refused in other places.”

Dr Ramakanta Panda of Asian Heart Institute said, “We do not foresee a reduction in actual numbers after Obama’s comments. However, the notion that India delivers cheap healthcare is not to be encouraged.”