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The Medical Tourism Council (MTC) of Maharashtra has a mission of making India the #1 medical tourism destination in the world. The members are working diligently to bring together corporate interests in both the medical sector and the tourism sector. The vision is to offer world class medical services to foreigners in a land that offers exotic vacations as well.



Countries such as India have been quick to recognize that the Western world is not providing timely and affordable medical care to its citizens. In both the United States and Canada, it is not uncommon to wait for more than 4 months to be seen after a referral is made. Then, there is more waiting time while tests are scheduled. Additional time passes waiting for the test results. If the result is that there is a need for a procedure, it could be several more weeks before surgery is scheduled. Non emergency medical attention may be extended for up to two years. There is basically no wait time in foreign countries such as India.



The MTC is targeting several Western markets. One of those is the 43 million uninsured in the United States. What happens to the average person from a developed country, who is uninsured and in need of a heart bypass? If not aware of the option of medical tourism, the uninsured worker will face the choice of going without the surgery, or of withdrawing his life savings, or taking out a loan in order to pay for the surgery. The same worker can obtain the surgery in another country for $10,000 vs. $70,000 in the US. He can get a knee replacement for $6,000 vs. $50,000! Although still a large amount of money, it is much more attainable abroad than in the home country. The cost of services in India is approximately 1/3 less than other Asian countries that are competing as the destination of choice for medical tourists.



The Medical Tourism Council is also doing heavy marketing campaigns to Western insurance companies. More and more, it is the insurance agent who suggests (and in some instances, mandates) having the surgery done in another country. An increasing number of insurance companies are not only agreeing to overseas medical services, but are advocating or insisting that the patient obtain the less expensive services as a medical tourist. They are recognizing that outsourcing medical services to India will save tens of thousands of dollars in payouts, even if they need to pay airfare in addition to the medical bills.