New research study on medical tourism in Chennai, India

The SFU Medical Tourism Research Group in Canada has released details of a study on medical tourism in Chennai, India; ‘An Overview of the Medical Tourism Industry in Chennai, India’. Chennai, once known as Madras, is the largest city in the southern region of India and the capital of Tamil Nadu state.
The SFU Medical Tourism Research Group in Canada has released details of a study on medical tourism in Chennai, India; ‘ An Overview of the Medical Tourism Industry in Chennai, India’.

Chennai, once known as Madras, is the largest city in the southern region of India and the capital of Tamil Nadu state

At the Apollo Specialty Hospital, orthopaedic patients come from the US, Canada, Australia, Italy and the Middle East. They get 100 medical tourists a year for orthopaedic procedures. International and local patients pay the same fees, although locals are less likely to utilize the more costly deluxe and platinum wards.

Billroth Hospitals has been actively marketing its services to medical tourists for six years and has seen a growth in medical tourism patients. The majority of its international patients are from the Middle East, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Oman. 50 to 60 foreign patients attend the hospital each year, primarily for cardiology and oncology services.

Frontier Lifeline Hospital is very active, with 50% of their patients being medical tourists. The hospital specializes in pediatrics. Iraq is the main source of medical tourists. They also get many patients from Oman and other Middle Eastern countries, as well as Africa (particularly Nigeria), Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, many of who are non-resident Indians.

Global Health City actively recruits foreign patients by sending doctors to work in medical camps in source countries. From these visits they receive get 200 queries a month, many relating to pediatric surgeries and transplantations. They receive the majority of their patients from Iraq, along with East Africa, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. While costs for medical tourists are slightly higher than for locals, 30 to 40% of their patients are international and the numbers are increasing.

Chennai has been particularly effective at increasing its medical tourism industry. Some claim it has 40% of all medical tourists in India, with 200 international patients each day. Half of all patients receiving treatment in Chennai come from outside of the state of Tamil Nadu. The main countries of origin are Nigeria, Kenya, Burundi, Congo, Bangladesh, Oman, and Iraq; with others from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tanzania, Oman, and Iraq.

Chennai has done deals with foreign countries including Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, so their citizens are sent to Chennai on government-sponsored medical tourism. Tourism is important to Chennai, and medical tourism includes substantial numbers from other parts of India.