MEDICAL TOURISM IN INDIA: POSSIBILITIES and PROBLEMS OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL TREATMENT

Abstract

This study aims to explore the problems and potential of medical tourism in India. India has become one of the destination countries for medical tourists from around the world. However, due to issues at both the policy and operational levels, India, like many other such countries, faces several problems in the development of its medical tourism industry. Indian medical tourism can be divided into four categories: surgical treatment, cosmetic surgery, alternative medical treatment, and wellness treatment. In this study, the authors focus on alternative medical treatment and wellness tourism and explore the possibilities and problems. Results of the current study show that India's medical tourism industry has potential, as international tourists can visit India at a relatively low cost, there is an easy visa process. India offers world-class and standardized medical services, services for alternative medical treatment, and more. Nonetheless, to realize this potential, the medical tourism industry in India must address with a variety of problems, including the absence of standardized herbal drugs and medicines as well as authentic raw materials, lagging processing technologies, the need for improved infrastructure, and lack of sufficient training for non-medical staff in cross-cultural sensitivity and language skills.

Keywords

• alternative medicine
• AYUSH
• health tourism
• India
• medical tourism

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