Visiting India For Treatment? Know Your Medical Tourism Facilitator Well

Visiting India For Treatment? Know Your Medical Tourism Facilitator Well

Medical tourism industry is growing at an exponential rate. Thanks to high quality and low cost treatments in India and other south east countries, more and more people are opting to get treated overseas. This growth of the overseas travel has given birth to many organizations acting as facilitators between the patient and healthcare providers. The rise of facilitators has been associated with rise of bogus organizations having a website for attracting the patients and then leaving them in lurch when they arrive in the country of treatment. Therefore it becomes very important to have detailed information about your medical tourism facilitator.

Medical tourist should gain information regarding the points below while choosing a medical tourism facilitator.

The Team– It is very important to know who all are there in the team of the organization. Many organizations are travel agents and consider medical tourists as another kind of tourist. Though tourist does come in medical tourism, the main emphasis is on treatment and it is imperative for an organization to have medical professionals in the organization. Few organization do have doctors as advisors but again they are part timers, a medical tourist should look for a facilitator having dedicated team of doctors as need for health issue can arise anytime. Along with having a doctor it is also important to look for experience and credentials of the doctors and other professionals involved. The more the experience and reputation of doctors and other team members more the emphasis on quality of care and service.
Location of offices– In this era of globalization the internet provides a virtual office, and the medical tourism facilitators utilize the internet to exploit the medical tourist. It is very important for a medical tourist to confirm the permanent address of the organization. Some facilitators operate from apartments and flats which again cast doubt regarding the authenticity of the facilitator. If possible the medical tourist should go for a facilitator having office in business parks, or corporate location.
Hopsitals on board– There are many hospitals in India, but not all provide international standard treatments. Many facilitators provide options of choosing hospitals from the list provided on their website. It is important on the part of medical tourist to confirm whether the facilitator has written agreements with those hospitals or just verbal agreement. In addition to it, the medical tourist should also ask for what criteria the organization employs for empaneling the hospitals.
Accommodation arrangements– India offers wide range of accommodation options right from guest houses to luxurious presidential suites. Medical tourist should confirm regarding the agreements of facilitator with the hotels and guest houses. As distances can waste precious time in treatment it is important for the medical tourist to ask for accommodation near to the treating hospital.
Follow-up –Medical treatment is not a one time thing, but it requires follow up services after treatment when the patient is back in home country. The medical tourist should ensure that the facilitator has a comprehensive follow up programme post treatment. It is advisable for the patient to ask the facilitator for arranging contact between the home doctor and doctor in India. As the records of treatment play important role in treatment follow-up the patient should enquire about the format of reports he/she will get from the facilitator after the completion of treatment.
Tour agency- As with hospitals, the facilitators usually do not have a written agreements with a tour and travel agents. They operate as and when need arises. It is important to have a fixed tour and travel agent as it helps in improving the quality of services, reliability and safety of travel. The medical tourist should also ask for criteria and reputation of the travel agency on board of the facilitator.
Billing transparency- Medical tourist should enquire regarding the billing process and look out for hidden costs in the bill. A medical tourist should confirm the cost before traveling to India so as prevent herself/himself from paying extra money
Medical legal options- Medical negligence can arise anywhere in the world, what’s important is the option to consult a legal person in case of negligence. As the laws in India differ from other countries, it is important for you to know whether the facilitator has contract with any legam agency that can help in case the medico legal need arises.

The above are few points that the medical tourist should know regarding the facilitator. An informed medical tourist can save her/his money and get a high quality treatment in India which may have been inaccessible in home country because of cost of treatment, lack of technology or long waiting list. If you want more information or want to provide your comments, mail us at info@firstcareindia.com.