Medical Value Travel

Why in news?

India hosted ‘One Earth One Health - Advantage Health Care-India 2023’ summit at New Delhi to promote Medical value travel in India.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry has co-branded the 6th edition of One Earth One Health - Advantage Healthcare India 2023 with India’s G20 Presidency.
The event will emphasize the importance of global collaborations and partnerships for building resilient global health architecture.
It is a two-day event is to showcase India as the new hub of Medical Value Travel and its emergence as a major hub for world-class healthcare, wellness services and medical tourism.
It also aims to highlight India’s significance in medical potential and create and explore opportunities for healthcare collaborations between the participating countries.

Medical tourism also known as medical value travel (MVT) is the practice of travelling across international borders seeking medical services, mainly elective or complex surgeries.
Stakeholders in medical tourism include airlines, hospitals, wellness centers and hotels among others.
Currently, the most sought-after destination for medical value travel is Canada.

NITI Aayog estimates that the Indian economy could earn an additional USD 9 billion by 2026 from MVT and wellness tourism.

Trained and experienced doctors - The doctors in India are more experienced compared to rest of the world.
Well trained nurses - According to Ministry of Tourism website, India has 1000 recognized nurses-training centers with 10,000 nurses graduating annually.
India’s traditional medical - Such as ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy and other traditional systems of medicine are considered best for the treatment of various ailments, promoting wellness tourism.
Low cost of treatment - The treatment in India is very low compared with the other countries.
The cancer treatments are 65-90% cheaper rates when compared to US, Europe, Australia or even Singapore.
200 types of medical services - India offers over 200 types of medical services ranging from fertility treatments to skincare.
Others - Cost-effective healthcare services, quality diagnostic equipment and trained doctors, with many of them fluent in English.

India ranked tenth globally for medical tourism with a score of 69.80 on Medical Tourism Index 2020-2021 (MTI).

MVT 2023

National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism - Was rolled out by union government in January 2022 to provide health services to the world at large.
Heal in India campaign - Launched by union government to market the nation as a wellness and medical tourism destination.
37 hospitals including 30 private hospitals across 17 cities have been identified to cater to MVT.
E-visas - India has launched e-visas for MVT travelers from 156 nations.
Online MVT portal - The union government plans to launch a one-stop online MVT portal.
The portal will include mapping of all medical facilitators including government and private hospitals, booking of services, payments and post-operative services.

Lacks government regulations and monitoring.
Lacks a separate body to head MVT and coordinate between various stakeholders.
No standard prices for treatments across India.
The lack of a price range leaves tourists susceptible to cheating.
No medical insurance portability for MVT travelers.
Lack of awareness about National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers, India’s national medical accreditation.

National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH)

NABH is a constituent board of Quality Council of India.
NABH set up to establish and operate accreditation program for healthcare organizations.
NABH is being supported by all stakeholders including industry, consumers, government, have full functional autonomy in its operation.
NABH is an Institutional Member of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (lSQua).