In view of the enormous potential of health tourism in creating jobs and raking in foreign exchange, ministries of health and tourism on Wednesday decided to get started by setting up a Web site and a database.
The Web site, a joint effort between the two ministries, is likely to be set up by December this year, health ministry officials said. "It will have all the details about the facilities available in the country for 'health tourism' and the prices," Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhary told reporters.
"We are trying to move forward in the area by coming up with appropriate regulations," Ramadoss said.
Chowdhary said a database was also being created which would help identify medical tourists. Hospitals were already getting patients from abroad and the government was trying to regulate this, Ramadoss said.
Tourism Ministry would promote "basic hospitals in generic terms, he said adding "we are setting up National Health Accreditation Board to accredit hospitals."
In the process, hospitals would improve their facilities which would help in providing quality healthcare to people, he said. Ramadoss said health tourism would generate employment and foreign exchange.
"Some of the Indian doctors who had settled in other countries are already coming back."
Chowdhary said there were efforts to get approval for "visa on arrival." However, there would not be any compromise with country's security, she said.
Use of new technology such as biometrics could help in this direction, the Minister said. "The ministries of Home and Civil Aviation have already agreed for advance passenger clearance. May be we will get visa on arrival too," she said.
Ramadoss said the tourism ministry was taking active interest in promotion of medical tourism. Medical visas have already been introduced, he said. "Medical visas will help those coming for medical treatment as they need not renew their visa every three months," Chowdhary said.
On promotion of Andaman and Nicobar islands as tourist spots, she said her ministry was awaiting a report by the environment ministry.