Minu AHUJA, Stadio School of Education, South Africa
Kudakwashe MAMUTSE , Stadio School of Education, South Africa
Medical tourism in India: - An introspection into the ever-growing industry and its challenges.
1Ahuja, M & 2Mamutse, K
Stadio School of Education, Waterfall &Centurion, South Africa
Corresponding authors: minua@stadio.ac.za, kudakwashem@stadio.ac.za
The present study seeks to explore the challenges that are faced in the medical tourism industry of India. Since the mid-20th century medical tourism has seen a tremendous boost in India. Medical tourism happens when foreigners visit India for medical purposes. The Indian medical industry is popular for the treatment of diseases such as cancer. The industry contributes billions of US dollars every year. Despite the robustness of the industry there are challenges that are faced in its implementation. This study seeks to explore such challenges and make recommendations on how the smooth operation of the industry could be enhanced. The research followed a qualitative approach and data was collected from government officials in the Ministry of Health, from national policies on immigration and also from officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Data has been collected using focus group in-depth individual interviews and document analysis. The date were then analysed using content analysis using Atlas.ti software. The study findings indicated that the industry faces challenges in the visa application process, in the lack of advertising opportunities to promote its growth and in the lack of trade agreements between India and potential client countries. One of the recommendations that we make is that India needs to relax its visa regimes particularly for visitors coming for medical tourism.
Key words: medical tourism, challenges, content analysis, immigration
Mots clés : Medical toruism|Challenges|content analysis|immigration|visa regimes
A103291MA