Spreading good health

Shehla Raza Hasan
24 July 2003

Kolkata: India's healthcare services industry, which touched the heart of Pakistani baby Noor Fatima and gave her a new lease of life after repairing congenital damages, is poised to emerge as one of the future growth drivers of the economy.

With new terms such as health tourism, healthcare outsourcing and medical back office support being bandied about, given the right mix of government push and private sector initiative India could emerge as a cost-effective healthcare service provider in South Asia and Southeast Asia and indeed to the rest of the world.

Is healthcare going to be India's next big thing after information technology?

Some of the latest trends are quite interesting. The British government is contemplating to fly its citizens down to India for treatment to clear up long waits for treatment and surgeries in British hospitals.

Hospitals in Kolkata have long queues of patients from Bangladesh waiting for appointments with Indian medical specialists. And, now, the bus service between India and Lahore has opened up new opportunities for the people of Pakistan to avail of better quality healthcare in India.