The Metamorphosis of Medical Tourism in Goa

Medical Tourism to Transform Goa

India’s smallest state, Goa, has earned a negative reputation for its drug culture, rave parties, and nude beaches.  However, the Ministry of Tourism is trying to reverse this image through its active promotion of medical tourism. The Ministry is making laudable efforts to showcase the state’s potential, especially in offering medical vacations for tourists who continue to find affordable health care insurance a rarity back in their respective countries.  Considering the thousands of tourists who flock to Goa annually for its beautiful scenery and its rich architectural heritage, the medical tourism industry here is projected to record impressive growth. 

A Goan Medical Vacation

India is known worldwide for the quality of cardiac procedures and joint replacement surgeries.  Tourists from the United States, Europe, and all over Asia visit the country to take in the sights and benefit from affordable medical tourism.  With a licensed doctor for a Tourism Minister, Goa is uniquely positioned to develop its health tourism sector.  Being a medical practitioner, he has professional knowledge of the kinds of procedures and facilities that the state needs to offer.  Presently, the medical tourism traffic to Goa involves simple procedures like dental care and more intricate procedures like ophthalmic treatments.  It won’t be long, however, before the industry includes more complex and sophisticated treatments like heart and joint replacement surgeries as part of its medical services. 

Affordable Health Care Insurance a Problem for Goan Locals

While tourists rave about the medical tourism facilities that Goa offers, Goan locals are feeling the pinch due to the escalating prices of medical treatments.  There is now a clamor for an improved health care system in the state.  The average Joe on the street can afford neither the exorbitant rates of the specialty hospitals nor basic health care insurance. Adding to this dilemma is the lack of available clinical services in remote areas plus the high prices of medication for senior citizens (this despite India’s much hyped reasonably-priced generic medicines).  The general consensus among the local population seems to be that both the Health and Tourism Departments should collaborate to ensure that tourists continue to enjoy medical vacations in Goa, while the locals’ health concerns are adequately addressed too. 
 

Source:  “Goa’s Irony,” Herald, February 5, 2007