Medical & Wellness Tourism

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Medical, Healthcare Wellness Tourism

• - Aritro Dasgupta

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Definitions

• Medical/ Healthcare Tourism travel to another
  country for the purpose of obtaining medical
  treatment
• Wellness Tourism travel for the purpose of
  promoting health well-being through physical,
  psychological or spiritual activities

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Medical Tourism

• Travel to another country for the purpose of
  obtaining medical treatment
• Traditionally from less developed countries to
  major medical centres in developed ones for
  treatment unavailable in their own communities
• Lately trend reversing people travelling from
  developed countries to less developed ones
  because of cost considerations

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Medical Tourism

• Also certain medical practices, procedures
  drugs may not be legal in 1 part of the world but
  may be available somewhere else so out of
  desperation people travel (legally as well as
  illegally)
• Certain medical conditions may be better
  understood in foreign countries due to greater
  spread of the same leading to better procedures
  increased level of sensitivity

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Medical Tourism

• Some developing countries (India, Pakistan
  South Africa) are particularly famous for
  producing outstanding doctors
• Fertility tests banned in some countries but
  legal in others to be categorized under medical
  tourism but not under healthcare

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Wellness Tourism

• Travel for the purpose of promoting health
  well-being through physical, psychological or
  spiritual activities
• Certain countries (India, Israel, Tibet,
  Cambodia, Greece, Turkey, Japan etc.) have built
  up over ages a brand of being spiritual
  destination
• Wellness tourists are proactive in seeking to
  improve or maintain quality of life focus on
  prevention rather than cure of any disease

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Wellness Tourism- Evolution

• Northern Europe home to numerous natural geysers
  hot springs, especially near volcanic sites
  (active or dormant)
• Travellers used to visit these places for
  rejuvenation
• Dead Sea belt in the Middle East also famous for
  the therapeutic qualities of the soil
• Thalassotherapy uses sea water as a cleanser
  popular in Greece France
• Multani Mitti (Fullers Earth) found across north
  India similarly famous

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Wellness Tourism- Evolution

• In recent decades these geysers, springs etc.
  have been commercialized allowing people to visit
  these
• Old Faithful on Yellowstone National Park
  (Wyoming, USA) particularly popular among
  tourists
• Countries like Hungary Turkey have agreements
  with countries like Norway Denmark the former
  host tourists for mineral baths saunas the
  latter subsidizes outbound tourists for medical
  purposes
• Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan Israel have also
  developed spa-resorts along tourism belts

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Wellness Tourism- Types

• Sports
• Beauty treatments
• Meditation yoga
• Alternative medicine treatments using natural
  herbs / traditional medical practices
• Spas (artificial) geysers (natural)

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Medical Tourism in India

• Worth around US 2 billion at present, growing at
  around 30 annually
• Medical costs have ballooned in the USA other
  western societies leading to being over-budget
  for large proportion of population
• Cheaper for these first world citizens to travel
  all the way to India for treatments
• Patients from countries less developed than India
  also come for high level surgeries
• Indian education doctors are recognized world
  over

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Medical Tourism in India

• Welfare states like Norway, Sweden etc. where
  basic medical charges are free or minimal,
  leading to medical facilities catering to the
  routine problems when major problems occur
  facilities get over-stretched thus attracting
  patients to places like India
• India has always had a brand name in this field
  due to the worldwide recognition (often
  patronizing) of the ancient medical crafts like
  Ayurveda Unani

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Medical Tourism in India

• Hospital chains like Artemis, Max, Medanta have
  started training nurses in foreign languages like
  Farsi, Arabic, Serbo-Croat etc.
• India particularly known for curing heart hip
  ailments
• Chennai known as Indias health tourism capital
• Noida fast emerging as new hub

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Wellness Tourism in India

• India always known as this exotic location of
  snake charmers sadhu babas with magic
  potions
• Indias rivers also celebrated in various
  accounts as having magic powers
• In particular the springs originating in the
  Himalayas are popular in the imagination of
  European people
• Also a hub for spirituality

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Wellness Tourism in India

• Home to many major religions of the world
• Some originated here (Hinduism, Buddhism,
  Sikhism, Jainism many tribal religions)
• Some have originated abroad but have grown to
  large numbers (Islam, Christianity)
• Some religious groups have gained sanctuary here
  (Paris, Bahais, Jews)
• Buddhism Hinduism in particular have attracted
  large numbers of tourists mainly due to the
  liberal traditions peace that they have always
  espoused

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Famous Wellness Tourism Centres in India

• Ananda near Hrishikesh, Utarakhand
• Mayapur in Nadia district, West Bengal
• Paonta Sahib (Himachal) Hemkund Sahib
  (Uttarakhand)

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Thank You