Sun ‘n’ surgery’ in India for UK patients

GG2.NET NEWS ^ | 17/05/2005

[MRMEAN]

‘Sun ‘n’ surgery’ in India for UK patients
THE TRAVEL firm Thomas Cook will offer "sun and surgery" package deals to India for British patients who are tired of waiting for operations in Britain`s National Health System (NHS). Thomas Cook hopes that within the next few months, it will be offering deals that include flights, operations, accommodation in a private hospital and even recuperation time on the beach. The firm, said sources, is using Britain to test the market. Standards in many Indian private hospitals are often found to be better than in many British NHS facilities, said officials of the travel company. Costs are also much lower than in private hospitals in Britain. Many Britons complain they have to wait long periods for surgery in the NHS system. "What we want to offer are healthcare holidays where people can go and have their operations in hospitals recommended to them in our brochures," said Ameeta Munshi, Thomas Cook`s spokesperson in India. "This is going to be affordable and for anyone who is in pain and can`t be treated on the NHS, the fact that healthcare is so much cheaper here anyway means the whole deal is going to be very attractive," she said. "Our lawyers and insurance experts are looking over the final details but we would expect to launch the deals within the next two to three months," Munshi said. Cheaper medical costs lured up to 150,000 international visitors to India last year, with around 400 from Britain, or a rise of 15 per cent in British patients in one year.
Copyright © 2005 Garavi Gujarat Publications Ltd and Garavi Gujarat Publication USA Inc http://www.gg2.net/

[razoroccam]

Get ready for a bunch of India-haters and bashers to reply to your post.

[newgeezer]

Coming soon to a Socialist nation near you:

Nationalized health care!

[cjshapi]

I have nothing against India. But this sure is a sad commentary on Britain's healthcare.

[socialismisinsidious]

if Hillary has her way we'll be outsourcing our medical care too.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Big deal...people in Canada do this all the time....

Besides it's not like everyone in india lives in a grass hut as most people think here...

yes I am rolling my eyes...

[Space Wrangler]

That's why the old saying goes "If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait 'til it's free!"

[Brilliant]

This is what Hillary has planned for us. No healthcare, unless you can afford to go to India to have it done.

[newgeezer]

Besides it's not like everyone in india lives in a grass hut as most people think here...

Sewage running down the middle of the dirt streets. Do not fail to mention the sewage running down the middle of the dirt streets...

[KarlInOhio]

India has doctors? I thought they had all come to the US already.

[razoroccam]

Partly true. It is reflective of British healthcare decline. But it is also reflective of how much stride India has made in health care.

(At this point, all India-haters can put in their bit on the "Hindu" religion, caste system, accent or out-sourcing angst).

We had fascinating experience in January when we were there. My wife had a fever on Saturday afternoon. A physician called, sent his laboratory technician over, got a blood sample, and had results on CBC, differential, and malaria parasite in two hours. All for Rupees 100 (about $2.5).

Can you get that even in the US? Being a physician myself, I know what we get here.

[socialismisinsidious]

i have a friend who lived in India for the past two years and had the same experience

guess the the insurance industry and lawyers haven't caught up with medicine in India...yet ; )

[razoroccam]

You hit the nail on the head, my friend.

[voletti]

I've seen some studies on this 'medical tourism' thing. The cost economics are compelling. And as quality attains an 'acceptable' level, the trickle may become a flood.

The best hope for the west to keep up competition is to build and export a 'wal-mart of healthcare' model. Bring down costs, drastically slash medical liability charges, lower insurance premia by having patients bear a larger part of the malpractice risk than they do at present and in general let the free mkt play.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Depends where you go...yes there are a LOT of poor areas, but they are ALL not that bad.

Can't be worse than any of the crumbling old inner city tenements here...

[sgtbono2002]

Most of the Doctors aorund here are Indiians anyway, it would be like going home.

[newgeezer]

Can't be worse than any of the crumbling old inner city tenements here...

Actually, it is.

[msf92497]

Cool. I wonder if I could get some Tech service for my PC while I was there.

[razoroccam]

Hmmmmm, interesting idea. Very interesting idea.

[razoroccam]

Geezer is correct in that it can be a lot lot worse.

Keep in mind that India is really a land of huge contrasts. A world class hospital could be right next to a shanti (pun intended) town. I remember delivering babies without cotton to stem a bleeding perineum. I used jute instead. That was 20 years ago, but from my visit in January, some places are still not much better.

What is different is that 20 years ago, I could not walk into Apollo and expect to see surgeries being performed by robots. Or standard of care equal to that I saw at Mayo Clinic. Tata Memorial could easily equal Sloan Kettering in NY or MD Anderson in Houston (I've been there, so I know).

Folks need to realize one thing - India in health care is where IT was 10 years ago. That is going to be India's next big thing.