SunstarTV Bureau: The ministry of tourism is planning to boost Ayurvedic and allopathic centres registered with the ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) as hubs of medical tourism.
The officials said, “Post Covid-19, a lot of people will be looking to plan wellness tours. India is the ideal place and we have a great opportunity here”.
According to tourism and culture minister Prahalad Patel, the decision was taken at a meeting of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board, on Monday.
As India has always been a leader in Ayurveda and it can become a global hub for such tourism. The board will meet every three months to review the progress.
This board meet will be organise every three month. This meeting has officials from the ministry of AYUSH, home affairs, and ministry of health and family welfare, Indian Medical Association and private players such as Dr Naresh Trehan, Dr Sangeeta Reddy and Ramdev. Prahalad Patel
The ministry is also in talks to ensure that medical tourists will be able to obtain a visa within a day of their application. Those facing problems will be redirected to a new call centre being set up in the culture ministry to expedite their visa.
At present, India has 34 hospitals accredited by Joint Commission International, an international body that certifies healthcare organisations. National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers in India, however, it has certified 578 hospitals.
The aim is to exponentially increase the number of internationally certified hospitals. The list of these hospitals will be included in the Incredible India campaign and be made available on its website.
There are three buckets of strength that India has when it comes to medical value travel, one is the combined power of traditional medicine and modern medicine in India.
Traditional medicine, Ayurveda, can play an important role in treating gastrointestinal problems and allergies. Allopathy has established itself in treatments like bone enjoinment. Then there is herbal medicine, which is used for boosting immunity and stress reduction.
The global medical tourism industry market is estimated to value $19.7 billion, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for 40% of the share. India’s share was reported to be around 18% of the market in 2019, with nearly 4.75 million medical tourists travelling to the country in 2017.
