STANDARD PROCEDURES FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL TOURISM

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India is in the process of formulating Standard Procedure for International Medical Tourism.

A meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Special DGHS on 3rd March, 2016, at 3.00 PM in Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India, wherein IMA was also invited for consultation.

As of now, there is no data available with any of the Government Departments regarding the details of patients coming from outside the country for medical treatment in various hospitals in India except for a limited data available with Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) under Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It is felt that this requires a proper coordination mechanism between various  Government Departments like Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs (Immigration), Ministry of  Tourism, Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

The Government shall have to enlist a panel of hospitals all over the country for catering to the need of medical tourism as per the requirements of the need of various patients and their respective Governments. It was also deliberated that the complete details of the patients should be recorded in a data base maintained by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India.

IMA suggested that MCI should also be invited for the consultations. Further, IMA suggested that since IMA is a member of World Medical Association (WMA) which represents 112 countries, it can disseminate the information to the member Associations through WMA.

The Ministry is in the process of preparing a Concept Note on the standards procedure of guidelines for international medical tourism.

Dr K K Aggarwal

Honorary Secretary General, IMA