It was in 1997, two years after Rajkrishnan had set up his modest dental clinic in Tripunithura that he got a call from Lawrence a US citizen who had come down to Kerala for a holiday.
The gentleman was in pain and suffering from a severe dental problem. Though the doc’s clinic didn’t impress him much Lawrence didn’t have another option.
“When I told him he needed a root canal treatment he was shocked and surprised to learn that we did have such facilities in Kerala,” says Raj. Still not convinced Lawrence went back to the US but just to come back the next December for follow up treatment. “This time he came with four of his friends who needed a dental check up.”
And that was just the beginning. Today, Dr Rajkrishnan’s clinic in Tripunithura is one of the most frequented clinics in Kochi by foreigners from various parts of the world. This small incident is just an example of how the state’s health tourism sector is growing from strength to strength.
The cost of a dental check-up in the US, and more so in Europe, is exorbitantly high. When we can offer the same treatment and a high standards of facilities at one tenth the price, why not tap this sector? This is the reason many travel thousands of miles to Dr Rajkrishnan’s clinic not just for implants and root canals but even to get smiles designed.
But the clientele the doctor enjoys have come with some effort on his part as well. As a first step he gave his clinic a complete makeover. “The first thing I changed was my toilet,” laughs the doc who is passionate about adventure sports especially trekking and biking.
“Yes, tourists are flocking to God’s Own Country not only to soak in the sun and the rich culture but to take a check on their health as well,” agrees Dr Thomas Paulose Nechupadam whose dental spa in Ramada Resorts is a hotspot for tourists.
A first in the state, the spa is designed in such a way that one can have a check up while one is getting pampered with a relaxing Thai massage or a chocolate pedicure. “Eighty percent of my clients are foreigners,” says Dr Thomas whose clinic at Marine Drive was recently featured in Forbes magazine as one of the top clinics in the country.
Twelve years into the profession and the doc stands out for the tailor made packages including sightseeing, he arranges for his overseas clients.
“Dental appointments are normally made in the evening so as not to intervene with any sightseeing schedules,” says the doctor who comes from a family of eight dentists. “
Most of my clients are from the UK where even a root canal can cost anything between Rs 2 and 2.5 lakh inclusive of insurance covers while in Kerala it won’t go up more than Rs 30,000.
If hi-tech facilities and the latest treatments are what make these docs hot property, the proximity of popular sightseeing places has also played to their advantage.
“Ever since I started my clinic in the late nineties I’ve treated many tourists though the influx has increased since 2000,” says Dr Betty Bejoy, who runs Gnayalloor dental clinic in Kesavadasapuram, near Kovalam.
Yes, when Kovalam gets flooded with tourists from September to April the doctor too gets busy. But there is one thing all these doctors stick to. “We don’t believe in two tier treatments and show any of our patient’s discrimination,” they say in unison.
