OUTSOURCING MEDICARE?….Here’s the latest in outsourcing: get your heart bypass operation done in India for a fraction of the cost of having it done in Europe or America.
A study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and McKinsey consultants estimated “medical tourism” could be worth 100bn rupees (?1.21bn) by 2012. Last year some 150,000 foreigners visited India for treatment, with the number rising by 15% a year, says Zakariah Ahmed, an analyst who helped compile the report.
….A number of private hospitals also offer packages designed to attract wealthy foreign patients, with airport-to-hospital bed car service, in-room internet access and private chefs. Another trend is to combine surgery in India with a yoga holiday or trip to the Taj Mahal.
According to the figures in the article, a heart bypass in America costs about $25,000 compared to $8,000 in India. Even with roundtrip airfare added on you can save a bundle.
