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India Mediatracks |
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Mediescapes India have been featured in
leading dailies like Financial Times, Business Standard, Hindustan
Times, The Hindu, Times of India and contributed to several Medical Journals
listed with PubMed, IRMA, IGI Global etc. and has in particular
worked as an author, market researcher and business strategist on a
large variety of projects and reports related to the deployment of
Medical Value Travel (Medical Tourism) in emerging markets.
A look into our newsroom………….
Please watch this space for recent updates;
Media's take on Mediescapes India
(1)
Sperm donation fad, thanks to
Bollywood
(Source:
Times of India, New
Delhi ePaper edition May 21st., 2012)
Couples demand IIT +
IIM,or IAS/ IPS/ Doctor,or IIT + CA sperms by their clinical
cocktail names, says D Arun Kumar, chief executive
officer of Delhi-based medical tourism firm, Mediescapes India.
With Indians excelling in professional fields now, patients from
other countries are also looking at Indian sperm donors. In the past
six months, there has been an increase in foreigners coming to India
for sperm donors. Price revision in European ART clinics has made it
unaffordable for them in their home. We routinely get at least two
patients a month from USA and Europe seeking screened donor sperms,
he says.
Link -
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Sperm-donation-fad-thanks-to-Bollywood/articleshow/13323298.cms
(2)
REGULATORY ASPECTS OF
TRADITIONAL MEDICINE: FOCUS TOWARDS UNANI COSMECEUTICAL PRODUCTS
(Source:
International Journal
of Phermacutical Science and Research (2012), Vol. 3, Issue 06,
February 19th., 2012)
The regulatory authorities are now focusing on the regulatory issues
of traditional medicines under which Unani system of medicine falls.
Today we are witnessing an increase in the use of traditional
medicines throughout the world raising the questions as to how safe
these preparations are. People are now bending towards the Unani
system of medicine because of its safety, efficacy and lesser side
effects and hence raising the popularity of the Unani system of
medicine. The major problem associated with Unani system of medicine
is the lack of regulatory issues that ultimately leads to
counterfeiting of Unani medicines.
Link -
http://www.ijpsr.com/V3I6/37%20Vol.%203,%20Issue%206,%20June%202012,%20IJPSR-1303%20Paper%2037.pdf
(3)
Medical tourism on the rise despite superbug reports
(Source: Business Standard, Oct. 24th.,
2011)
Operators managing health tourists in India have their hands full
these days. Patients from the Western countries in need of surgery
are travelling to India in large numbers in the last quarter of the
calendar year, so that they can be well during Christmas and New
Year celebrations, according to doctors and executives at medical
tourism companies. This is despite reports of high levels of
‘superbugs’ in and around some Indian hospitals.
Confirming the trend, Dr Arun Kumar, CEO of Mediescapes, a
medical tourism company, told Business Standard the number of
overseas travellers coming for treatment to India has risen since
the beginning of October. These are mostly high-end health tourists
and are coming from the US, UK and Europe. “We are fully booked till
December, as patients want to be in the best of health around
year-end festivities,” he said.
The bookings for October to December have risen by around 17-18 per
cent, compared to the previous months of the year, according to
Kumar. When asked about the impact of superbug reports on
medical tourism, he laughed it off.
Link -
http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/medical-tourism-on-the-rise-despite-superbug-reports-111102400026_1.html
(4)
Get well soon
[Source: Quality
Council of India (QCI)]
.....................
It is in these timelines and legwork that the medical tour operator
steps in efficiently. Explains Dr Arun Kumar, founder,
Mediescapes, a medical tourism travel agency. “The first step
is to send current medical records (clinical findings, diagnosis
reports, radiology films, CT, MRI scans, lab. slides). We take the
next step by getting opinion from highly experienced specialist with
cost and duration estimations and the same are passed on to the
medical tourist for approval and more questions and answers, if any.
Once the final confirmation is given we make all arrangements in
real-time basis at the shortest possible time.“ Just what the
doctor ordered
...................
If all medical records are available it takes under 20 days to
arrange all services. On an average a medical tourism patient takes
roughly 35 days to decide/arrange all resources to put into trip
format with assistance from us,” adds Kumar. He surely
knows the logistics, on an average he handles 330 medical tourists
annually.
Like the choice of hospital, the Average Length of Stay (ALOS) also
depends on the procedure. For example, Cardiac surgery: eight days
in hospital, 10 days in the city; Joint replacement (unilateral),
neuro and spinal surgeries: seven days in hospital, 10 days in city;
Joint replacements (bilateral): 10 days in hospital, 10 days in the
city; Cosmetic procedures: 2-3 days in the hospital, seven days in
the city, further adds Arun Kumar.
Link -
http://www.qcin.org/nbqp/qualityindia/Vol-2-No4/12_15.php
(5)
Sun, Sand and Surgery
(Source:
The Telegraph,
Calcutta December 13th., 2009)
......................
Cosmetic surgery tourism in India is no longer a serious,
hospital-bound affair. “People don’t want to travel half way
across the globe just for nip-and-tuck cosmetic surgery. They prefer
to do it while they are on a holiday in India,” says Arun
Kumar, director, Mediescapes India, a Delhi-based medical
tourism firm. He adds that 55 per cent of...
Link -
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091213/jsp/7days/story_11857913.jsp
(6) Sun, Sea and Surgery
(Source: Journal of
the Royal Over-Seas League, UK, June - August, 2008)
India’s catch-line to
attract medical tourists from overseas is simple: there is no
waiting list for surgery, and everyone understands and speaks fluent
English. It is also a lot cheaper than private healthcare in most
other countries in the world. A bone marrow transplant, for example,
would cost five times as much in a private clinic in the UK. It has
been estimated that more than 150,000 medical tourists went to India
to be treated in 2002, bringing in earnings of US$300 million. Since
then, that number has increased by 25% each year. Medical tourism is
expected to make India around US$2 billion by 2012, based on a
survey by the lobby group Confederation of Indian Industry. A
just-released report by the Planning Commission says that the
superior quality of medical service, coupled with the low cost of
surgery, has made India one of the most attractive destinations for
medical tourism in the world.
Link -
http://www.rosl.org.uk/magazine/pdf/4.pdf
(7) Medical Value Travel; An
Amalgam for Analysis
(Source:
eHealth, A
Monthly Magazine on Healthcare ICTs, Technologies & Applications, Vol.
3, Issue 1, January 2008)
The new phenomenon, the new industry we are talking about is
Medical Value Travel or Medical Tourism, as it has popularly come to
be known now…
We can sum up this discussion with the strong comments from D.
Arun Kumar, Chief Executive, Mediescapes. He says, “While India strives to
emulate the success of Thailand, Singapore or Turkey, there also exist
a number of drawbacks to consider; such as, overall hygiene levels in
India’s International patient arrival gateway cities, poor
infrastructure at international airports and a bureaucratic approach
to issuing medical visas"
"One main issue in India regarding medical tourism is that when
patients come to India, their primary reason is low cost and no
waiting list. They like to go to high quality facilities with
experienced doctors; and we have excellent facilities and great
doctors in India. However, most of the patients need to stay in a
nearby hotel, resort, service apartment or guest house for a week to
a month depending on their procedure, before returning home. But it
is increasingly becoming difficult to get good hotels at affordable
cost in a good neighborhood. We are looking for accommodations of
around $60 per night, but the current cost (in a good hotel) is 3 to
5 times more”
Link -
http://ehealth.eletsonline.com/2008/01/11073/
(8)
India towards Economic Leadership Confluence - 2007
(Source:
IIM, Ahmedabad November 22nd., 2007)
.............
According to Mediescapes India, medical tourism in India is
growing by 30% per annum.
(9)
Medical tourism’s no longer pep pill
(Source: The Economic Times, August 16th. 2007)
The traffic from North America and UK has actually receded in the
last year. In fact, medical tourism itself grew only by about 10-12%
last year against the expected growth of 30% and above, says Arun
Kumar, CEO of Mediescapes, a Delhi based organisation that
offers medical tourism packages.
Link-
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2007-08-16/news/27687782_1_medical-tourism-international-patients-apollo-hospitals
(10) MEDICAL MALPRACTICE OVERSEAS: THE
LEGAL UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDING MEDICAL TOURISM
(Source:
Duke Law Scholarship Repository, USA, August 8th.,
2007)
.......................................
Mediescapes India similarly warns its clients that it
“does not control or operate any Treating Institution” and
therefore is not responsible for a Treating Institution’s
negligence. After Espalin, disclaimers like those made by MedRetreat
and Mediescapes India are probably valid if voluntarily signed and
may be sufficient to defeat a medical-tourism plaintiff’s claim that
the medical tourism firm should be held vicariously liable based on
the apparent agency theory.
Link -
http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1428&context=lcp
(11) Good Medicine for Tourism
(Source:
Published in TTG Global Publishing, Cyprus, August 1st., 2007)
Rising medical costs
throughout the West have prompted a wave of lower cost, yet just as
specialized alternatives in Asia and the Middle East...
“In 2005, about 175,000 medical tourists came to India in search of
what we call first world healthcare at third world prices. Medical
procedure cost estimates in India were anything between 30 to 80 per
cent cheaper than the West,” said Chief Executive, Mediescapes India, Arun
Kumar...
(12) ‘Miracle Cure’ for Paralysed Paraplegics.
Stem cell therapy offers
hope
(Source:
Maharashtra Herald, Pune, 13th. June,
2007)
CHENNAI: The unlikely spectacle of four completely paralysed
paraplegics, on the mend but good enough to move on their own with
some help were presented to the press dramatically....
D. Kumar said “We harvest between 100 and 200 ml of stem cells in fluid form from
the afflicted patients themselves and inject them into their spinal
cords carefully to bring about this ‘miracle’ which accords totally paralysed patients who had no hopes of moving at all with the ability
of taking care of their personal needs. Our methods have been cleared
not only in India, but also in all major statutory medical
institutions abroad including the U.S. Further, our facility has the
highest global rate of success,”
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India Medical Tourism
coverage in world-wide media
(13)
TOURISM HITS VISA HURDLE
(Source:
The Times of India, New Delhi, March 22nd., 2007)
The city may have started raking in the moolah from medical
tourists, but a lot remains to be done to make it a global
healthcare destination.
The Government has introduced medical visas to help such tourists,
but that’s hardly enough. Tour operators say that acquiring such a
visa, which allows up to three entries in a year, remains a
difficult process.
“I have about 300 enquiries with me right now, but whenever we call
the local consulate, they tell us that they are yet to receive the
notification. This is a major hindrance,” says D Arun Kumar
of Mediescapes India, a tour operator.
As medical tourists are usually required to visit the city again for
a follow-up treatment, a tourist visa can prove cumbersome. “When
they need to come a second time, they have to apply for a fresh
tourist visa. In case of a medical visa, all they need is a document
from the hospital or a medical broker.” Explains a medical
tour operator.
More service apartments and better infrastructure at airports are
also needed to attract health tourists. “A few years back, we saw
how the Rajasthan government got people to rent out their extra
apartments to tourists. It can be tried out here, also keeping in
mind the Commonwealth Games on 2010,” says Kumar.
Some tour operators even allege that the government is not doing
enough to promote the city as a medical hub.
“or government officials, only Ayurveda and yoga classify as
medical tourism. Somebody needs to tell them that people are coming
here in droves for oncology, cardiology and dental treatment,”
says Kumar.
Link -
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Tourism-hits-visa-hurdle/articleshow/1869148.cms?referral=PM
(14)
Medical Tourism Spawns Agents and
Brokers
(Source:
Hindustan Times ePaper - Business Supplement, Mumbai, January 8th., 2007)
India has barely four doctors for every 10,000 inhabitants
compared with to 27 for the same number of people in the US. It has
been ranked lower than even Bangladesh....
Companies are targeting different geographical areas and demographic
sections as well. “Assuring them that the hospitals are clean and
hygienic and the capabilities of the staff are at par with those in
their country is the most difficult task,” says D. Kumar of
Mediescapes.
(15)
India the next destination for Travel
and Health
(Source:
NDTV.com, By Rai Monica, New Delhi, 19th Nov,
2006)
Medical tourism is a term coined which covers patients traveling
across the globe for tourism purposes clubbing their requirements for
treatment of acute illness, elective surgeries....
Some Top Hospitals Include Apollo, Fortis, Max Healthcare, Escorts,
AIIMs, Wockhardt, etc. A few good Medical tourism providers are
....... www.mediescapes.com...
(16)
MEDI-
TOURISTS WANT A DOSE OF FUN TOO
(Source: The Economic Times, Bangalore. By; Savitha V & Urvashi
Jha, Bangalore, October 11th.,
2006)
After Treatment In Metros, Patients Are Heading To Darjeeling, Agra,
Kerala & Goa To Recuperate
A knee replacement surgery in Mumbai, followed by a 10-day treatment
in Goa. Or an Ayurvedic treatment in Kerala followed by a week-long
stay at the many resorts that dot the backwaters of the state. That
is pretty much the itinerary of an average medical tourist. Thanks
to the boom in the medical tourism industry, places like Darjeeling,
Agra, Goa and Kerala are popular among not just the regular
tourists, but also preferred by patients looking to recuperate.
..........
D Arun Kumar, CEO, of Delhi-based medical tourism firm
Mediescapes India, says, “Before the patients come to India, we
give them travel options. A majority of them go in for packages and
take an average of seven days for post-surgery recuperation. For
such trips, Goa is popular, as are the backwaters of Kerala.”
(17)
Tourism hits visa hurdle
(Source:
The Times of India, Delhi, 8th Aug,
2006)
“I have about 300 enquiries with me right now, but whenever we
call up the local consulate, they tell us that they are yet to receive
the notification. This is a major hindrance,” says D Arun Kumar of
Mediescapes India, a tour operator.
More service apartments and better infrastructure at airports are also
needed to attract health tourists. “A few years back, we saw how the
Rajasthan government got people to rent out their extra apartments to
tourists. It can be tried out here, also keeping in mind the
Commonwealth Games in 2010,” says Kumar...
(18)
Helping an American fight cancer;
This Californian is happy she came to Bangalore for treatment
(Source: The Hindu, Bangalore, May 16th.,
2006)
Karen Scott, of Gualala, California, led a good life: she ran a
successful business, was a prominent member of the local community
and, best of all, she suffered no illnesses. But in September last,
things took a different turn. She was diagnosed with breast cancer
during a medical examination after a fall on an icy pavement.
Ms. Scott, 59, and her husband, John Scott, did not have health
insurance, and they started learning about other places around the
world where treatment for breast cancer was available. “We did an
extensive search on the Internet and found that a lot of people were
coming to India for treatment. The low cost of treatment and good
medical facilities were a factor in India’s favour,” Mr. Scott said.
They zeroed in on Manipal Hospital, Bangalore. One of the criteria
for choosing the hospital, Ms. Scott said, was that it offered
“sentinel lymph node biopsy as per my medical records evaluation
advise received via Mediescapes India”.
Dr. Somashekar, consultant surgical oncologists at Manipal Hospital,
said that by performing the sentinel lymph node biopsy, he and his
team – comprising a nuclear medicine specialist and plastic surgeon
– were able to prevent the removal of all lymph nodes in 70 per cent
of cases. “A negative biopsy saves the patient a lot of pain. There
are no side-effects, such as swelling of the arm or restricted
movement of the arm,” he added.
………………………..
Ms. Scott, 59, and her husband, John Scott, did not have health
insurance, and they started learning about other places around the
world where treatment for breast cancer was available. “We did an
extensive search on the Internet and found that a lot of people were
coming to India for treatment. The low cost of treatment and good
medical facilities were a factor in India’s favour and through our
search we found Mediescapes India who organized our trip to
India,” Mr. Scott said.
Link -
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/helping-an-american-fight-cancer/article3133690.ece
(19)
Medical Tourism: a Threat to U.S.
Hospital?
(Source:
Strategic Health Care Marketing, Vol. 22 No. 8, August 22nd.,
2005)
Companies that help patients find and navigate medical care
overseas also have a Web presence. Mediescapes India, based in
New Delhi, handles an average of 300 U.S. patients annually, says
Chief Executive, D. Arun Kumar. The number for the first quarter of 2005 is up
17 percent over the same period in 2004. The company partners with
hospitals in India to offer medical package deals that include
internal flights, airport assistance, language interpreter services,
hotel or service apartments, physician appointment, operation
scheduling, and often a post-operative vacation to recuperate under
physician supervision...
Fastest growing in popularity among Americans are
non-insurance-covered treatments for various cardiac conditions,
cosmetic procedures, and joint replacements, says Kumar. India
benefits from its large staff of world-class medical experts and an
ultra-competitive cost advantage. “As a comparative example, while a
[coronary artery bypass graft] costs $30,000 in the U.S., it costs
$8,000 in India, Similarly, Kumar says, “a bone marrow
transplant costs $26,000 here in India compared to $250,000 in the
U.S.” Americans are also drawn in part by the combination of Western
treatments with Indian traditional medicine, which includes yoga,
Ayurveda, and meditation...
Medical tourism brokers such as Mediescapes India are working
with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and
the Confederation of Indian Industries to develop a common marketing
plan aimed at international patients, Kumar states. They are
currently conducting road shows and participating in medical tourism
expositions overseas...
(20)
Medicare plus Holiday Packages
(Source:
India Post, Published from New York, Washington D.C., Chicago,
Atlanta, California, Vol. 10, No. 551, Medical Tourism Special,
February 25th.,
2005)
The idea behind spinning this web of medical facilities and
managing it through one channel- Mediescapes India, is to help
discerning world-wide patients comprehensive medical screening in a
comfortable, friendly atmosphere under careful medical supervision.
Mediescapes offers unique opportunity to undergo a treatment at a
fraction of the cost with no long waiting lists unlike in the UK,
combined with the option of recovering in an ideal setting. All tour
packages are tailor-made to suit individual needs ensuring personal
safety and privacy. The website of Mediescapes offers a variety
of recuperative holidays ranging from the Ganges and the Himalayas
tour in the north to the exotic lush green locales of Kerala in the
South....
(21)
Pamper your soul...recuperate
your body
(Source:
India Post, Published
from New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, California, Feb. 2006)
(22)
India Heals better, cheaper
(Source:
India Post, Published from New York,
Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, California, Feb. 2005) |
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