Medical Care in India

India’s expansive health-care infrastructure offers specialized treatment in every field. Given the size and scope of the subcontinent, India has plenty of room to accommodate a diverse range of medical facilities. The result is one of the world’s most competitive and comprehensive health-care scenes, which maintains high international standards at some of the world’s lowest prices.

Aside from the high quality of care available in India, the country also fosters a high level of enthusiasm often overlooked in Western hospitals. Indians are proud of their country’s leading role as an international health-care provider, and this is easily seen through the attentive and enthusiastic care provided by physicians and nurses.

Medical tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry in India. Prestigious, mainstream hospitals often rely on their own reputation to draw international patients. Meanwhile, smaller (though highly qualified) clinics often team up with travel agencies to create holistic medical tourism packages that include accommodation, medical procedures and in many cases, sightseeing tours.

The remarkable success of the medical tourism field means hospitals are able to attract first-rate doctors and nurses. Many mistakenly assume that any accomplished physician would leave India in search of a career in the West. Instead, many of the world’s leading doctors are found right here in India.

A number of influences keep highly-acclaimed specialists here, including family ties, national loyalty and a desire to assume a leading role in the country’s burgeoning medical scene. What’s more, a number of government-sponsored programs send students overseas to study at prestigious universities, requiring them to return and perform a few years’ domestic service in return.

The lack of waiting lists in India is especially attractive to those suffering from grave illnesses such as cancer or heart disease. As hospitals expand and new clinics are built, India continues to offer first-rate facilities, including private recovery suites and personalized care at affordable prices. Experts project annual growth as high as 30 percent in the coming years.

Compare the burgeoning health-care scene in India with that in the US, where rising costs and ineffective health insurance programs have put a stranglehold on the health-care industry leading to lay-offs and understaffed hospitals. India, on the other hand, is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing medical infrastructure, meaning hospitals here employ more nurses and secondary staff. Patients receive more attentive care and in many cases, better treatment.

Hospitals are staffed with competent English speakers. English is the language of India’s elite, taught at an early age to children across the country. What’s more, English is the language of parliamentary proceedings in India, so even working class and impoverished Indians have some level of exposure to English. Visitors can rest assured that they’ll have no problem communicating with their doctors and nurses, who are happy to explain treatment and offer recovery advice in English.