Promote healthcare tourism in K'taka: Report

Mysore, May 17 (UNI) The Karnataka Government should take holistic steps to promote the burgeoning medical/health tourism sector through marketing, promotion and infrastructure creation, a report has suggested.

According to the report, titled 'A Growth Agenda for Karnataka Tourism - New Opportunities for Investment in Tourism Infrastructure', Karnataka had been looking at capturing at least 20 per cent of the 3.2 lakh international healthcare tourists coming to the country, by projecting its super speciality hospitals here and in Bangalore. The estimated number of foreign healthcare tourists was put at 8,000 annually.

While the Tourism Department was preparing a database of such travellers, the State Government was sprucing up its district hospitals to meet the inflow of patients.

The report, jointly prepared by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Crisil and released at the two-day Karnataka Expo 2006 here today, suggested that Karnataka should obtain accreditation from international institutes and hospitals should put in place proper documentation system in terms of standard operating procedures and clinical outcomes.

There was also a need to promote specialised training institutes for training paramedical staff, encourage medical associations in the State to enter into exchange/partnering programmes with similar organisations overseas, consider promotion of tertiary healthcare infrastructure by providing tax incentives and other support, address environmental issues like treatment of medical waste and ensure installation of medical waste treatment facilities in health centres. It was also necessary to develop a website to provide information on facilities provided by hospitals and prices, it said.

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