Health tourism to bloom in India:Chidambaram

Kochi, July 2: Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said that health tourism will ''bloom'' in India as world-class facilities were available here at reasonable costs and a short waiting period.

Inaugurating the Vasan Eye Care Hospital here this evening, Mr Chidambaram said that people in the Middle East and Europe were beginning to realise the advantages of coming to India for treatment.

''In any case, even if one went to the best hospitals abroad, in the consultation room, the chances were that one will see an Indian doctor. The idea is to provide world-class facilities and equipment to the doctors in the country, whose skills and abilities are second to none,'' Mr Chidambaram added.

''It is wrong to assume that world-class facilities are available only in the US or the UK. We can do it here because we have the human resources,'' he said.

Inviting the private sector to supplement the public sector hospitals to reach healthcare to all Indians, Mr Chidambaram said there was no conflict of interest between the private and public sectors in healthcare.

Admitting that the condition of the primary and state-level hospitals was pathetic, Mr Chidambaram said that millions of people get treatment there and the public healthcare sector in India had succeeded in putting a halt to endemic diseases and epidemics.

While there could be no substitute for the public healthcare system, private hospitals and doctors could supplement the public system, the minister said.

Observing that India had the largest number of blind people in the world at about 18 million, Mr Chidambaram stressed the need to provide eyecare facilities, specially for ailments like glaucoma and cataract, to the common people.

Also present on the occasion were Kerala Fisheries Minister S Sarma, Member of Parliament Sebastian Paul, Kochi Mayor Mercy Williams, KPCC chief Ramesh Chennithala, MLAs K V Thomas and Ebrahim Kunju, Tamil Nadu MLAs Sundaram and Rajsekharan and Ernakulam district collector A P M Mohammad Hanish.

UNI