Hyderabad: Patients from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are getting fed up with India as a medical tourism destination due to hidden costs and too many middlemen. The International Indian Wellness and Medical Tourism Association has received complaints from the director of health of UAE regarding middlemen making it difficult for them to send patients for treatment. Association director Dr H.N. Garg said, “the medical and health department of the UAE has brought to our notice that their patients are troubled as soon as they land in India.
From the taxi drivers, travel agents, tour operators to translators everyone acts as hospital brokers, making it a very murky affair. The hospital package is different. Agents want commissions. The patients find that they are paying too much. The department has asked for help to do away with these flaws.” Patients from the UAE usually prefer India for elective surgeries in cardiovascular, gynaecology, cosmetics, hip and knee replacements among others. In 2013, 1.5 lakh patients from the region visited India for medical treatment, but in 2015 the number fell to 70,000.
A senior administrative officer of a corporate group of hospitals in the city said patients are often waylaid by brokers who quote a certain amount for the treatment. “Diagnostic charges, taxes and other costs add to the bill. This angers the patients. For this reason, patients are being told to contact hospitals directly and an officer is appointed to deal with patients from foreign countries.” Ten major corporate hospitals in Hyderabad have international wings. The city ranks fifth in India in terms of medical tourism.
According to market estimates, medical tourism in India has a large potential and is expected to grow to $10 billion by 2019. Given this large potential, hospitals and wellness centres have formed a platform to solve the problems faced by foreign patients. A senior officer with a corporate hospital said, “It is important that patients get directly in touch with the hospital and these agents are completely done away with to minimise their woes.”
