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Published on : Monday, August 17, 2020
Last year, medical tourism, India was ranked as the third most sough-after destination, with the industry estimated to reach $9 billion in valuation this year, as per the figures of Ministry of Tourism. However, with the pandemic, the industry is currently one of the worst affected sectors with huge loss. In a discussion with Mr. Arun Sangwan, the Founder of METRA said that the small & mid-sized organizations associated with this sector in the last four to five months have been encountering several problems with decline in international travel and are starting at zero revenues and expenses remains to be disbursed like salaries, rent, maintenance, technology to connect & address patients worldwide and lot more. For medical tourism startups, it would be tough fight to survive even when the travel ban is raised.
Around more than 80, 0000 jobs are at stake, these are individuals who are associated with patient coordination and highly trained in making sure that the patient gets the treatment that he/she looking for from the right doctor at the appropriate cost. Also, they make sure that the patient/attendant convenience –and now they are on the edge of disintegration. If we do not start MVT again to India, many might take to unethical and illegitimate means to maintain their families – this would be extremely depressing and devastate not just the individuals but their families as well.
Mr. Arun Sangwan, the Founder of METRA Suggests, believes that International flights should start again, visa issuance to India needs to restart with an aim on the medical visa; as it generate forex but also saves human lives and leads to a lot of other forex activities due to the intense contact that these foreigners have with the Indians and Indian culture for at least two weeks and more.
He said that now, hospitals are empty; MVT brings business to the hospitals and estimates for almost 35 to 40 % of the total business. This paves the way for investment in innovations and research; and affects a huge segment of the Indian society monetarily. So far, hospitals have not cleared referral payments to MVT intermediaries of pre lockdown period. This is causing additional crisis to the MVT intermediaries who have been the strongest catalyst to its growth in India.