Medical toursim

1. A Case of Medical Tourism in Ahmedabad
A field study conducted
As a part of the
Ten Days Research Methodology Workshop in Social Sciences
at
Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (SPIESR)
Thaltej, Ahmedabad
Presented by
Abhishek Lakkad Indu Pareek
Integrated M.Phil-Ph.D (Science, Society & Development) Ph.D. (Economics)
CSSTIP, School of Social Sciences Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and
Central University of Gujarat Social Research
Gandhinagar. Thaltej, Ahmedabad.

2. PRESENTATION PLAN
Introduction
Objectives
Hypothesis
Rationale of Study
Methodology
Study Areas
Findings from the field study
Content Analysis of Patients’ Testimonies
Results
References

3. Introduction
Medical Tourism:
• “The term refers to cross-border health care motivated by lower cost,
avoidance of long wait times, or services not available in one's own
country” (Hopkins et al 2010).
• This medicine-based flow of people from one country to another is
often coupled with recreational activities to enable the patients to
settle into the new socio-cultural environment before and after the
treatment (Hopkins et al 2010).
Statement of Problem:
• Within the given time frame, we chose to explore the phenomenon of
medical tourism from the perspectives of the patients as well as the
doctors/hospitals engaged in medical tourism.

4. Objectives
1) To find out the motivation of patients to choose
Ahmedabad/India as a medical tourism destination.
2) To study the varieties of medical services (i.e.
alternative therapy or state-of-the-art medical
treatments) availed by the medical tourists.
3) To explore the source countries to which medical
tourists belong.

5. Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis
• There has not been a rise in medical tourism in
India in the past five years.
• There is no difference in the cost and dynamics of
medical services in India and foreign countries.

6. Rationale of study
• “[There are] a growing number of foreigners turning
to private tertiary care hospitals in India for medical
treatment, which is leading to health tourism”
(Mudur 2004).
• What are the factors leading to the influx of
foreigners coming to India for medical treatments?

7. Methodology
• We visited three hospitals in the vicinity of Drive-in
road through purposive sampling.
• We are interested in studying the following variables:
- motivation of the medical tourists
- varieties of medical services used by them
- source countries of the patients/medical tourists
• We tried to understand the perspective of the hospital
staff regarding medical tourism through a questionnaire.
• Due to unavailability of respondents/medical tourists,
we did a content analysis of the testimonies (available
on the website) given by patients of Sterling Hospital.

8. Study Areas
• Vasant Nature Cure
(Alternative therapy)
• Founded in 1954
• Public funded (Charitable trust)
• Number of staff: 40
• Estimated number of patients per
annum: About 2800, of which
approximately 800 are indoor
patients which would include the
foreign patients
• Sterling Hospital (state-of-the-
art medical treatments)
• Founded in 2001
• Largest corporate chain of
hospitals in Gujarat
• Number of staff: > 1300
• Estimate number of patients per
annum: Could not be obtained

9. Findings from the field study
TYPES OF MEDICAL PROCEDURES
Rank Vasant Nature Cure Sterling
1 Weight Loss Cancer
2 Orthopedic Neuro Surgery
3 Spine Cardiac
4 Cardiac Spine
5 Orthopaedic, Dental and Laser
SOURCE COUNTRIES
Hospital/Countries Foreign nationals NRGs
Vasant Nature
Cure
African Countries and Japan USA, United Kingdom and Canada.
Sterling • Congo, Kenya, Nigeria,
Mozambique, Rwanda, South
Sudan, Tanzania
• UAE-Muscat
• Australia
USA and United Kingdom.

10. Source Countries of the Medical Tourists
Source: Authors’ calculations based on the testimonies obtained from Sterling hospital website.
http://www.sterlinghospitals.com/international-patients/what-patients-speak-about-us/
: accessed on 23/4/2015.
63%
6%
6%
6%
19%
Distribution of source countries
Kenya
Nigeria
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia

11. Insights from the Hospital Staff
• Infrastructure for medical procedures in India
• Lack of facilities in source countries
• Better trained and competent doctors and staff
• Affordable
• Patients have come through word of mouth and
advertisements on internet.
• During the discussion with hospital staff they
revealed that they have been able to reap the
benefits of investing (marketing costs, updating
technology and infrastructure) in medical tourism.

12. Source: Authors’ calculations based on the testimonies obtained from Sterling hospital website.
http://www.sterlinghospitals.com/international-patients/what-patients-speak-about-us/
: accessed on 23/4/2015.
Content Analysis of Testimonies
17%
33%
42%
8%
Indicators of motivation for medical tourism
Affordability
Competence of the medical staff
Services
State-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure

13. RESULTS
 Based on the field study and the content analysis of the
secondary data, one may say that the probable factors leading to
the influx of foreign patients to India are as follows:
• The high quality of the doctors, medical staff and other medical
services in India.
• The affordability of medical treatments/services
• The availability of specific treatments that might not have been
available in their home countries like Ayurveda and naturopathy.
 Source countries and treatments:
• Other than USA and UK, African countries are a major source of
the medical tourists.
• Major medical procedures: Cardiac, orthopaedic and spine
surgeries

14. REFERENCES
• Hopkins, L., Labonte, R., Runnels, V., and Packer,
C., (2010). Medical tourism today: What is the state
of existing knowledge? Journal of Public Health
Policy Vol. 31, Issue 2, 185-198. Palgrave
Macmillan Publishers.
• Mudur, G., (2004). Hospitals in India woo foreign
patients. British Medical Journal Volume 328:1338
• http://www.sterlinghospitals.com/international-
patients/what-patients-speak-about-us/
• http://www.vasantnaturecure.com/

15. THANK YOU