Bengaluru evolving as a medical tourism hub

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: One of the fast developing segments within tourism in India is medical tourism, as the country provides some of the best, state –of-the –art medical services at affordable prices.

Many foreigners hailing from various nations prefer to come to India for medical treatment as they don’t have to wait to get an appointment and the process is hassle free compared to some costlier options in developed countries.

“Treatments for coronary artery, bypass surgery, hip replacement surgery, knee replacement surgery, prostate surgery, gastric bypass, face lifting and wellness programs are some of the attractions for medical tourists visiting Bangalore”, informed Viren Gowda from the Department of Tourism, Karnataka. He also said that Bangalore is cost effective in treatment packages in comparison to other cities offering similar services in India.

Bangalore is set to become a hub for air ambulances, overtaking cties like Delhi and Mumbai in the near future. Bangalore being cost effective and having a decent infrastructure is a sought after location, but more improvement in air ambulance services needs to be done.

Foreign nationals need to submit details such as their passport, no-objection certificate if the person is under 18, visa application form, recommendation from doctor from the home country, medical history documents followed by the details of the treatment and details of the attendee of the patient, in order to enjoy the benefits of medical tourism in India.

In terms of Pakistani nationals, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) provides a single entry medical visa valid for a period of three months. It is granted to only those that are going to get treated in established, specialised hospitals with the legitimate documentation.