Gujarat setting high medical tourism targets: Vyas

AHMEDABAD - Gujarat is emerging as a global medical tourism destination and expects to attract over two million patients from abroad in the next few years, bettering Singapore and Thailand, Health and Tourism Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said here Tuesday.

Speaking at a seminar on ‘Fostering Healthcare for all’, Vyas said: “The upgradation and renovation of Ahmedabad’s government Civil Hospital at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore is in the offing. The Cancer Society is poised to commence super-specialty services and a medical college. Additionally, four medical colleges in Sola in Ahmedabad, Gotri in Vadodara, Patan in north Gujarat and Valsad in South Gujarat are likely to start soon.”

Singapore and Thailand get one million patients each from abroad, he said.

The seminar was attended by Sujata Rao, former union health secretary, Punjab Health Minister Tikshan Sud and eminent experts such as Marvan Abdul Aziz, business director, Dubai Health City. “The focus was on investment opportunities and growth of the healthcare sector in Gujarat,” an official spokesperson said.

Vyas pointed out that “the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in medical care is on a fast track and a lot of hospitals in Gujarat today have adopted this successful model in various practises. To further boost the PPP model, we have received encouraging response from private companies wanting to adopt this model”.

The seminar was organized by the health and family welfare department of the Gujarat government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the support of the Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb) as a run up to the Vibrant Gujarat 2011 summit.