India is a recent entrant into the global medical tourism map and medical tourism in India is at boom. McKinsey and the confederation of Indian Industry made a study and stated that medical tourism in India could become a $ 1 billion business by 2012. Government and private sector studies estimate that medical tourism in India is growing by 30 percent a year.

India has caught the attention of foreign patients with high quality treatment and services at private hospitals and those run by voluntary services. Some of the pluses offered in India are the international standard of medical attention, high-end equipments, personalized attention and minimum waiting period that too at a fraction of costs incurred overseas.

India with its culture and scenic beauty is becoming a popular medical tourism destination for foreign patients needing surgery and other specialized treatment and is providing cost effective medical tour packages. Many patients are pleased with the Indian Medical package tour like getting their tummy tucks with a trip to mesmerizing Tajmahal Agra.

Indian hospitals like Apollo are providing a nice blend of top-class medical expertise at affordable prices and thus are attracting foreign patients. Apollo hospitals are one of the leading medical corporations of India serving medical tourists from foreign countries.

The use of herbs once belonged partly to the realm of magic, in the healing rites performed by shamans and also stems from observations of the way in which animals treat themselves to various plants when sick or wounded. But careful study of herbs and their properties over thousands of years has developed Oriental herbal medicine into a highly refined and complex discipline.

Medical diagnosis is usually undertaken by practitioners familiar with both Western and Oriental medicine, resulting in a wide­ranging and comprehensive assessment of a patient’s symptoms. The yin/yang balance will be appraised, as well as the functioning of the internal organs and systems, the patient’s psychological state, diet, and lifestyle. And each of these factors will be considered in relation to the nature of the diseases or disorder involved, and its degree and speed of progression.

Following diagnosis, the therapist selects a combination of natural “herbs,” which may include mineral and animal ingredients. Western herbal therapies are often based on using a single herbal remedy at a time; indeed, most rural forms of folk medicine work on this premise. An Oriental herbal therapist will provide an individually tailored cocktail of herbs that will work in conjunction with one another, and with you, and that will probably be readapted several times during the course of treatment as healing proceeds,

Herbs are classified in a number of ways. The nature of each is said to be cold, cool, hot, warm, or neutral. This is the chi or energy value of the herb and is used to balance excess or deficiencies in the “disharmony” that constitutes the illness. The herb’s taste and smell are also evaluated, as sour bitter, sweet, pungent. salty. These characteristics are linked special affinities with different organs or body system and the related emotions that can be involved in disease. The herbs are also characterized as having a ascending or descending effect. The herbalist prescribes a mixture of herbs and tells the patient how to prepare and use them. Occasionally ready-prepared remedies such as herbal pills or tinctures may be given.

Medical tourism in India is gaining wide popularity because there are several things which work as an advantage for India. First the infrastructure and the healthcare facilities available here match up to the world class standards. Second the cost of getting the treatment done aboard is very expensive whereas in India this can be done at less than half the cost and the patient gets the best possible treatment available. In India one can find a large number of medical professionals who are well versed in English and this is another factor for which patients from abroad opt to get their treatments done India since most of the things here are conducive to them.

Realizing the prospect of medical tourism in India, the government has decided to take proper steps towards promoting India as a “high tech healing center.” In fact, the private healthcare organizations have done a wonderful job by upgrading themselves to international standards. Having achieved the goal of meeting the international medical standards, the government is eyeing ways to promote Indian medical tourism industry abroad. The idea of providing world-class treatment at affordable charges, definitely the focal point of attraction, should be propagated in foreign countries. This is no story because Indian corporate hospitals are offering excellent healthcare practices such as cosmetic surgery, hip resurfacing, cardiac surgery, joint replacements and dentistry at comparatively low rates.

The number of foreign patients traveling to India has increased in the past few years. This number is slated to increase further as the government expects to earn revenue of around $2 billion by 2012. Declared as India’s health capital, Chennai ropes in around 45% of medical tourists from abroad and 30-40% of health tourists from within the country. This is good news indeed for the medical tourism industry in India.

There isn’t an iota of doubt that the main appeal of Indian medical tourism lies in its low cost, high quality medical treatment. For instance, the Madras Medical Mission, a Chennai-based hospital, conducted a complex heart surgery on an 87-year-old American at $8,000. The patient, on his recovery, asserted that a less complex operation had cost him $40,000 in America. Besides, diagnostic services and regular health check ups are a lot more cost- saving in India. A thorough health check up that includes blood tests, electro cardiogram tests, chest x-rays, lung tests, and abdominal ultrasound costs around £345 in London. On the other hand, these similar tests can be performed in India at a minimal charge of $84.

For many foreign patients, cost may not be the only factor determining their decision to land up in a medical tourist destination. India, for long, has been looked at with distrust with regard to cleanliness. The reality is, Indian private health concerns meet international standards of cleanliness and hygiene. All that is required is the confidence of our foreign tourists in the Indian medical system. They should not overlook the fact that there are many Americans and Britons who are accustomed to being treated by expatriate Indian doctors.

Following the current trend, the future of Indian medical tourism seems bright with the number of medical tourists increasing day by day.