Good facilities at an affordable price boosts medical tourism in Kolkata

Kolkata, July 30 (ANI): West Bengal's Kolkata city emerged as a favourite destination for medical tourism, owing to the world class facilities provided to the foreign patients at an extremely affordable price.

In the past few years, significant surge was witnessed in the number of foreign patients who arrive in the city to get treated at various hospitals.

A few of the renowned hospitals in the city saw a rise in the number of patients coming from abroad.

Rupali Basu, who is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the Apollo group of Hospitals (Eastern Range), stated that last year they did business worth Rs. 1500 billions from the foreign patients who had come for treatment.

"We have treated 300,000 patients last year only in the country. Of which 50 percent of that is for the elective super speciality tertiary care patients. And 50 percent of that, about 70,000 patients have been treated in our Apollo group of hospitals there are 54 of which in the country. This industry and part of the private medical health care centre is growing by 30 percent every year,"

She also stated that they are viewing a target business of Rs. 9500 billions from foreign patients alone b y the year 2050.

Meanwhile, the patients from foreign countries showered praise on the medical facilities that were provided in the hospitals.

"Since Bhutan does not have that much facilities like here, because of that I have been referred here. The services and everything are world class standard. We get more of such things which we don't get there in Bhutan," said Nango Dorjee, a patient from Bhutan.

Most of the patients, who come for treatment are from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, Middle East, United Kingdom and African countries. (ANI)