May 16: Darpan Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry laid out a 5 point agenda that needs to be implemented in order to increase the medical value travel (medical tourism) to India. In his speech at the “Infusing Life in healthcare services exports”, an webinar organized by the Services Exports Promotion Council (SEPC), he said for India to become the major player to attract Medical Value Travel to India, we need to work on these 5 points
- Increase in the value of using Digital means to telemedicine without affecting the structure of other countries.
- Promoting Incredible India to increase MVT to India
- Mandating Unorganized and Undocumented Facilitators and Hospitals
- Government to Government Engagements to solve payments issues and insurances for patients travelling to India
- Data Collection needs to be more effective and is the key to take actions and policy decision related to medical value travel
He said “Japan was hesitant to allow us to provide service via the digital world. It seems the government expects the doctors to have a personal touch with the patients”. However digital telemedicine will world in many other countries but while doing so, it should not affect the work of the local doctors”.
A suggestion was made to have a Portal where every hospital or doctor who treats a foreign patient to provide documentation of the patient so that it can be accessed by all departments including Police, RBI, SEPC, NABH and others so that necessary data could be collected which can help in promoting Medical Tourism with India.
The panel discussion was moderated by Smt Upasana Arora, Member of Central Governing Council and the panelists were
- Shri Darpan Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Dr. Harish Pillai, CEO – Aster Hospitals & Clinics
- Dr. Anupam Sibal, Apollo Hospitals Group
- Dr. Murali S, Manipal Hospital
- Dr. Rajesh Pai, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre
- DR. MRADUL KAUSHIK, Max Healthcare
- Dr. Girdhar Gyani, Association of Healthcare Providers in India (AHPI)
- Dr. Atul Mohan Kochhar, CEO, NABH
- Dr. D. Ramanathan, Sitaram Ayurveda Speciality Hospital
