Medical tourism still going strong

Indian superbug scare raised by western study fails to dampen resolve of patients from abroad

Even as the report in an international journal about a superbug in Indian hospitals generates much controversy for its advice to medical tourists to not visit India, hospitals in the country say the report has not hurt medical tourism in any manner.

A study published Lancet Infectious Diseases about the emergence of an antibiotic-resistant superbug in Indian hospitals had left Indian health authorities fuming. Experts rejected the claims and termed it a targeted attack on the country's flourishing medical tourism sector.

The article advises patients against travel to India for treatment, saying they might contract an infection that most antibiotics cannot treat.

But Indian hospitals who don't agree with the study say that despite the negative publicity, not a single patient from abroad has cancelled a booking so far. "We haven't had a single cancellation from any medical tourists so far. In fact, we are still getting the same number of fresh enquiries and tourists are booked for treatments three months in advance. The thought hasn't entered any patient's head that Indian hospitals pose a threat," said Bomi Bhote, CEO, Ruby Hall Clinic.

Mumbai-based doctor Dr Mohan Thomas, founder president of the Indian Society of Cosmetic Surgery, said: "We've had several path-breaking surgeries performed here and even when this entire superbug mania was around, I still had patients visiting me, who were unconcerned about the chances of infection. India's been gaining credence really fast and even patients from Singapore, which ranks higher than India in the countries preferred for medical tourism, are visiting us now."

Dr Ashish Davalbhakta, plastic and cosmetic surgeon who runs Aesthetics Spa and consultant at Ruby Hall and Aditya Birla hospitals, said a slump might be seen after a couple of months. "So far there has been no effect as advance bookings had taken place and all those patients are coming in. It is expected that there might be a slight slump in tourism from US and UK after a few months because of the way the report has been received there," he said.

But hospitals are confident that even if there is a slump, it will only be a passing phase.

Naresh Shetty, medical director of Bangalore's MS Ramaiah Hospital, said, "Right now we're not worried about it affecting our hospital and so far there hasn't been cause for concern. "We're not sure if it's the same for other hospitals, but if there is a dip in medical tourism, I'm certain it'll be a temporary phase. The initial dip won't really make much difference."

(With inputs from Alisha Coelho in Mumbai and Bindiya Carmeline Thomas in Bangalore)