DestinationKerala KHT 2015 SPECIAL EDITION A DOCTOR ON MISSION MODE 12 / ISSUE THEME PROMOTING KERALA AS A MAJOR HEALTHCARE DESTINATION. Pg.

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1 KHT 2015 SPECIAL EDITION DestinationKerala Entrepreneurship. Economy. Excellence. OCTOBER 30, / ISSUE THEME PROMOTING KERALA AS A MAJOR HEALTHCARE DESTINATION A DOCTOR ON MISSION MODE Pg.2

2 COVER STORY / Dr. Harish Pillai Giving wings to Dr. Azad Moopen s dream is Dr. Harish Pillai, a physician-turned Chief Executive, has an array of projects to look after LIVING THE FUTURE PRESCRIBING TOMORROW S MEDICARE i n t e rv i e w by at h u l lal a g p h oto g r a p h by siril thomas 2 / Destination Kerala October 2015

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4 COVER STORY / Dr. Harish Pillai His visit to the iconic Mayo Clinic at Minnesota in the United States left an indelible impression on Dr. Azad Moopen, the chairman of leading healthcare conglomerate Aster DM Healthcare. I need to do something like the Mayo Clinic back in my home country became his dream. There began the story of Aster Medcity, the mega healthcare project in Kochi. Now, a year after it started operations, Aster Medcity has set a benchmark for healthcare in Kerala. It has become the first quaternary care hospital in Kerala to receive the coveted Gold Seal approval from the Joint Commission International (JCI). It has also attained India s National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation, the first-ever accreditation by NABH for Excellence in Nursing and Green OT Certification by Bureau Veritas within this short period. Giving wings to Dr. Moopen s dream is a physician-turned Chief Executive. Fit and stocky, he resembles a military officer at first glance with crew cut hairstyle and clean shaven face. Meet Dr. Harish Pillai, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the 670-bed Aster Medcity. Dr. Harish, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, is infectiously positive, sharp, empathetic and forthright. A proud Malayali, a military buff and an avid debater, as he describes himself, Dr. Harish joined Aster DM Healthcare around two years and three months ago. He is the strategy head of all Kerala-based Aster DM units such as MIMS Kozhikode, MIMS Kottakkal and DMWIMS Wayanad, and also ASTER MEDCITY IN KOCHI HAS BECOME THE FIRST QUATERNARY CARE HOSPITAL IN KERALA TO RECEIVE THE COVETED GOLD SEAL APPROVAL FROM THE JOINT COMMISSION INTERNATIONAL leads phase II expansion of Aster Medcity, Kochi, new multi-specialty hospital in Kannur, new Oncology Centre at Perinthalmanna and phase II expansion of MIMS Kozhikode. Before joining Aster, Dr. Harish had a seven-year stint as CEO of As Salam International Hospital, Cairo. He was also the Hospital Director of Belhoul Specialty Hospital, Dubai for nearly three years. An MBBS graduate from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, he did his MBA in International Healthcare and Hospital Management at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany. Excerpts from the Interview Why Aster Medcity in Kerala? Dr. Azad Moopen s dream was to set up a healthcare facility in Kerala just like the Mayo Clinic in the US. The clinical model of Mayo is very unique in that doctors work BI-PLANE HYBRID CATH LAB 4 / Destination Kerala October 2015

5 photo courtesy: m balan as collaborative teams. You feel as if the entire institution s knowledge capital is focused on you as if you are the only patient. It is an important aspect of this project. Subsequently, we did an epidemiological research to look at the disease burden in Kerala and the findings were startling; a wonderful set of good news as well as bad ones. VERY GOOD MACRO HEALTH INDICATORS We compare Kerala to Scandinavian countries. It is a reflection of very good macro health indicators - the best maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, the best PQLI (Physical Quality of Life Index) and life-expectancy for men and women. Thanks to high women s literacy, the age of marriage in our State is much higher than in other states. The net fertility rate in Kerala is 1.7 in comparison to 2 for countries such as the US, Canada and the UK. CHANGE IN DEMOGRAPHICS As per the last census, Kerala s population is reaching the net 3 TESLA, FULLY DIGITAL MRI SCANNER replacement ratio, almost like Japan. The fertility rate of 1.7 indicates a massive demographic change - less babies being born, longer lifespan and more people above sixty years of age. Being a Malayali boy or girl, you will have the longest lifespan in India. Consequently, out of the total 33 million people in Kerala, more than 5.5 million are above 60 years of age. As you get older, you require more healthcare services. KERALA, THE DIABETIC CAPITAL OF INDIA So, what is the bad news? The data is scary. The society has rapidly changed between 1950s and From joint family system, we have now reached the sub-nuclear family. Kerala has become a completely urbanised State. The incidence of non-communicable disease clusters, starting with metabolic disorders, is very high. With a population of 6.5 million who are diabetic, Kerala has become the diabetic capital of India whereas India is the diabetic capital of the world. October 2015 Destination Kerala / 5

6 COVER STORY / Dr. Harish Pillai As diabetes impacts the body from head to toe, we have high incidence of chronic renal failure, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease. Compared to other parts of India, myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attack, occurs at a much younger age in Kerala. Normally, it affects people above 50 or 60 years of age but in Kerala even those in the age group of years are susceptible to it. Kerala stands third in India in mortality due to cancers after Mizoram and Assam. With one RCC and one MCC, we are under-serving our population. The demand for a new cancer centre in Ernakulam is quite apt. Take the example of former Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan, who passed away recently. Why did he go all the way to Bengaluru for treatment? Why could not the treatment be provided in Kerala? Those are questions which society needs to ask. OBESITY A BIG CHALLENGE When we take the number of obese people, Kerala is only second to Punjab in India. It is almost like a paradox. A thin man can actually be obese as it is related to the distribution of fat. The thumb rule is that if you have abdominal fat, your coronaries definitely will have a block. Anyone with a potbelly is in for trouble. INFRASTRUCTURE INADEQUACIES Owing to inadequate facilities, there is a large-scale migration of patients from Kerala to other states seeking better healthcare. The number of patients going to Vellore, Mangalapuram and Bangalore from Kerala is high. In spite of great human resources, we do not have adequate infrastructure which could match it. All these factors form the baseline of the need for having Mayo-model care and an institution like Aster Medcity. MINIMAL ACCESS ROBOTIC SURGERY AT ASTER MEDCITY USING DA VINCI SURGICAL ROBOT How unique is Aster Medcity s approach to treatment? Like the Mayo model, our philosophy of holistic care is meant to follow a multi-disciplinary approach. We would serve as a referral hospital and lighthouse of excellence in healthcare for the entire country and South Asia. It is mandatory that the doctors work in collaborative teams here. We are the only hospital in the country which has managed to gain all accreditations in less than one year. We are focusing on nine clusters - Cardiac Sciences, Orthopaedics & Rheumatology, Neurosciences, Nephrology & Urology, Oncology, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Women s Health, Child & Adolescent Health and Metabolic diseases. THE DOCTOR S PREDICTION A hundred years from now, hospitals will be obsolete as medicine is rapidly changing. Everything will become personalised and it will be home-based care. For example, your shirt and tie will be monitoring what is happening in your body. On a real time basis, you will receive warning signals. Instead of clinician, there will be a software programme. Disease that we know now will not exist then. Cancer for sure would have been conquered. STRESS ON ONCOLOGY Oncology is one of our key focus areas and we have designed the Oncology programme on the lines of that of the RCC in Thiruvananthapuram. We are building a comprehensive cancer care centre having sub-specialties such as medical oncology, paediatric oncology and radiation oncology. Equipped with highly advanced technical support for chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, radiation and surgery, the Centre of Excellence is the first facility in Kerala to offer Minimally Invasive Robotic Cancer Surgery. How affordable is treatment at Aster Medcity? Our mission is to be the comprehensive healthcare provider of high quality to the masses. We will not differentiate between somebody from the lower income group or the higher income group. We have the general ward as well as the premium ward. Aster Medcity is located in the village of Cheranalloor, which is getting collateral benefits. As per data, if you invest Rs. 12 lakh in healthcare projects, you can generate 77 jobs, which is better than any other service sector. Almost 20 per cent of the employees are from within 10 km radius of the hospital. We have a village health insurance scheme for all the BPL families in Cheranalloor. The real estate, grocery shops, transport companies; everywhere the economy is benefited because of one project. Dr. Moopen 6 / Destination Kerala October 2015

7 has publicly committed 20 per cent of his net income every year towards charity. As CSR commitment, we have offered free healthcare services worth Rs. 1.2 crore in the last one year. The service of rapid response teams and emergency medical technicians on bikes is free. We already have a traditional ICU ambulance. As CSR initiative, we are working on launching boat ambulance and emergency chopper services. MEDICAL INSURANCE The biggest factor which could push the middle class families into poverty is the cost of treating acute illness. People have to be sensitive. We all take insurance for bikes. Why don t you insure the human body which is much more complex? What are Kerala s prospects of emerging as the medical value travel destination in South Asia? The market for medical value travel is so massive that it can actually transform the whole economy of Kerala. Unlike Ayurveda, Kerala has not really focused its mind on modern medicine yet. Just like the Kerala Travel Mart, a collaborative approach with the government acting as a key facilitator and competitors coming together for everyone s good, a similar initiative should happen in healthcare. My dream is to see Kerala as the global healthcare destination by In Aster Medcity, we have a dedicated ward to cater to the needs of international patients. NEW JOB OPPORTUNITIES One of the premium workforce required for healthcare is language translators. If you go to hospitals in Bangkok, you have translators for sixty different languages available in one hospital. It is an emerging opportunity. What is Aster s roadmap? Aster Medcity is a project worth USD 300 million or Rs crore. It is phenomenal as no project in India I HAVE A DREAM My dream is to have an Indian Health Service, similar to Civil Services, wherein all public hospitals would be managed by a cadre of professionals. Now what happens is a senior doctor, who might be a senior surgeon having no expertise in management, is made the chief. You should have qualified professionals to run complex institutions. And you should not waste a soughtafter doctor s time running a hospital. has invested so much in one site. The first phase, a 670-bed hospital complex, has been completed at a cost of Rs. 550 crore, including land. In the second phase, we will add another 500 beds. Besides the hospital, Aster Medcity includes a rehab project and assisted-care living homes, a three star hotel and a five-hundred seater convention centre. Our plan was to start the second phase after four years. But, given the patient traffic, we have to fast-track our plans. Our OP area also needs to be expanded as it has already become congested. We are quite confident that we would meet the financial targets in five to six years. As I said earlier, Aster Medcity, Kochi will be the mother ship for the entire hospitals of the group. In military terms, if Aster group is the Indian Navy, Medcity is the aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya. The next project, Aster CMI in Bengaluru, is of similar scale. It is a 500-bed hospital near the International Airport and will be commissioned by December. We also have projects in Hyderabad, Pune and Kolhapur. From a physician to healthcare chief executive, how did you transform your career and why? Well, I broke my father s heart (chuckles). I am a second generation expat and I grew up in Dubai. While pursuing my B.Sc. at Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram. I learned Malayalam by hiring a teacher and travelled extensively to know the State in KSRTC buses. Those were the formative years of my life. Just as in other typical middle class families, my parents wanted me to become a doctor or an engineer. I finished my medicine degree and was interested in specialising in neuro surgery. Then, somebody told me that I have the ability to be a good administrator in healthcare. While I was junior resident in the department of Psychiatry at St. John s Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru, my chief also suggested me to pursue Civil Services. But, I thought that if I could capitalise on my medical knowledge and do management that would be the best case scenario. Though I had a difficult time convincing my father, I did Masters in Hospital Management from the Apollo Institute of Hospital Administration, Hyderabad. That was basically the transformation. Who makes a better administrator in healthcare - a doctor or a nondoctor? The debate is on. There are hospitals in many countries which are run successfully by non-doctors. I believe a doctor will make a better administrator if he is good in the business aspect of running a hospital efficiently. You understand every aspect of the hospital because you are a doctor. Your colleagues respect you and listen to you more than if you were a non-doctor. It s actually a big advantage but stressful as well. October 2015 Destination Kerala / 7

8 HEALTHCARE / Kerala Health Tourism 2015 KHT TO CHART OUT ROADMAP FOR HEALTH TOURISM IN KERALA The event aims to create awareness and get the stakeholders together to promote Kerala as a world-class healthcare hub by 2020 Kochi has the best possible medical care facilities that can compete with any prominent MVT destination. But, according to Fr. Johnson Vazhappilly, Executive Director of Rajagiri Hospital at Chunagamvely near Aluva, what is lacking is a coordinated action plan from all stakeholders. Kerala has established itself as a prominent destination on the world tourism map for its Ayurveda treatment and natural diversity through collective and planned efforts from various government and non-government bodies. However, the situation in MVT is slightly different. Even on a pan India basis, Kerala enjoys a very small share of CALL FOR COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO BOOST MVT the MVT business. The current patient flow is due to the individual efforts of various bodies in healthcare and due to the cultural ties with countries like Oman and Maldives. There should be a collective effort from the government and all possible organisations to take up MVT in a big way, he said. KHT 2015, Fr. Johnson said, will plug the gap. A more focused approach is the key to growth in this area. We have identified a few target countries to boost MVT, which includes countries from West Asia and Africa. The global medical fraternity has a high percentage of NRKs, which should be built as a medium to create more awareness about the health standards that Kerala has, he said. Taking a cue from the success of KTM, KHT can promote Kerala 8 / Destination Kerala October 2015

9 Have world-class treatment at one-tenth price and use your savings to experience the tranquil backwaters, scenic beaches and pristine hill stations of God s Own Country. Raising this slogan, the private sector, government and trade bodies of Kerala are initiating a coordinated action to transform the State into a worldclass healthcare hub by Towards achieving this distinction, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in association with Government of Kerala is organising the fifth edition of KHT - Kerala Health Tourism 2015: International Conference and Exhibition at Le Meridian in Kochi on October 30 and 31. Aster Medcity, Rajagiri Hospitals and Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Institute are the principal sponsors of the event. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the event, which would highlight the emerging DR. AZAD MOOPEN CHAIRMAN KERALA HEALTH TOURISM 2015 trends, opportunities and challenges in the Indian health tourism arena and discuss the preparedness of Indian hospitals. It will be a congregation of major hospitals, health insurance companies, policy makers, tourism promotion boards, hotels and resorts, health travel and tour operators and international institutions for promotion of health tourism. According to CII, Kerala is particularly well-suited to host this event since it is recognised for its excellent healthcare standards by world bodies such as the World Health Organisation and is currently going through a boom in private medical services. Moreover, the liberal social environment and traditional hospitality of the Kerala people, coupled with the outstanding tourism infrastructure, makes it an ideal holiday destination and a hub for health services in the region. There will be deliberations on policy initiatives to promote health tourism, target markets and marketing strategies in health tourism, current challenges in international patient management, the future of health tourism and tourism in the concept of sustainable development. A strong votary of Kerala s mission to emerge as a leading Medical Value Travel (MVT) hub, Dr. Harish Pillai, the CEO of Aster Medcity and Cluster Head, Kerala, Aster DM Healthcare, says KHT 2015 will MVT through various initiatives like road shows in target foreign countries and participation in foreign trade shows etc. Fr. Johnson said Rajagiri Hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to cater to the needs of every foreign patient. We have a clear vision to be a major player in MVT to Kerala. Rajagiri believes that the quality standard has to be high to match the expectations of privileged clients who visit Kerala for medical reasons. Along with quality healthcare, we have to take all possible initiatives to offer a more compassionate care for each client, he said. The 7th floor of Rajagiri Hospital will be a dedicated area for foreign patients. The hospital will have an exclusive lounge for international patients to come in and register for services. There will be translators, local and international dining options, forex and travel assistance desk. Highlighted as a mission hospital with a corporate face, Rajagiri Hospital is a 1200-bed healthcare facility which when complete will also house a Medical College, College of Nursing, Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Rehabilitation Centre and Senior Citizens Village. Commencing operations in March, 2015, Rajagiri focuses on six departments - Cardiac and Cardiac Surgery, Neuro and Neuro Surgery, Urology and Nephrology, Orthopaedics, Gastroenterology and Neonatology. October 2015 Destination Kerala / 9

10 HEALTHCARE / Kerala Health Tourism 2015 With Thiruvananthapuram International Airport only a stone s throw away and international tourism centre Kovalam within 20 minute drive, Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Institute at Chackai is undoubtedly the leading destination for medical value travel (MVT) in Kerala s capital city. The 500-bed multi-disciplinary tertiary care hospital, led by renowned neurosurgeon and Padma Shri awardee Dr. A Marthanda Pillai, largely caters to patients from Arab countries and Maldives. On an average, the super specialty hospital receives 10 patients from Arab countries, especially Oman, and 20 patients from Maldives per day. According to Dr. Pillai, the chairman and managing director of the hospital, Kerala, especially Thiruvananthapuram, has good potential to become an ideal MVT destination. The capital city has four medical colleges, a good number of private super specialty hospitals and the country s leading medical institutions such the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST). However, there is a lack of coordinated action to brand and project the place as a world-class healthcare destination. What we expect from KHT 2015 is the formation of a permanent platform wherein the efforts to promote MVT can be done on a sustained basis. Besides coordination, it has to focus on benchmarking of hospitals, advice on legal issues and promoting insurance-based care, he said. Apart from local efforts, Dr. Pillai said, there should be more engagement from Indian Consulates in the Gulf countries to promote MVT. Currently, the sector is disorganised. Chances of middle men intervening and exploiting the situation are high. To avoid this, there should be a permanent facility in every Consulate to guide those who are seeking healthcare services in India, he said. Stressing that the State Government should act as a facilitator in the issue, Dr. Pillai said policies on healthcare should be inclusive in nature. The Government should take the private sector into confidence. Firstly, we need to ensure optimum utilisation of diagnostic services both in public as well as private institutions. Through a systematic process, the Government should empanel private hospitals and make the rates uniform. Otherwise, the expenses for quality and specialised treatment will remain on the higher side affecting the public at large, said Pillai, who is also the national president of Indian Medical Association (IMA). PERMANENT PLATFORM NEEDED TO PROMOTE MVT result in evolving a concrete action plan to promote Kerala as a healthcare destination. A comprehensive portal for MVT will be launched and it will act as an e-gateway. The event would facilitate the creation of a trade body, KHT Mart Society, similar to the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society. A five-year roadmap to convert Kerala into India s healthcare hub by 2020 will be chalked out, he said. GOVT. S INTERVENTION According to Dr. Harish, by bringing all stakeholders together, Kerala Government will act as a catalyst and incubator, and adopt the key lessons of success which have made tourism a large-scale employer and GDP contributor. It should liaison with the Centre to showcase Kerala as an MVT destination. Kerala should take part in all international road shows. The government should ensure cross sector support with departments of Health, Tourism, Industry and Information Technology, and allocate budget for 10 / Destination Kerala October 2015

11 healthcare hub mission to get all public and private hospitals NABH accredited by 2020, Harish added. While MVT and dollar receipts are attractive from a Return on Investment (RoI) standpoint for any mega hospital project, there are serious healthcare challenges on the home front which also can be addressed by this new engine of hope and growth. Kerala today is the diabetic capital of India; in obesity it is number two nationally; the age at which Malayalis suffer heart attack has come down alarmingly to the age bracket; incidence of cancer, especially among women, is at an all time high. And for technologically advanced complex medical procedures, Keralites rush to nearby Vellore, Bengaluru, Mangalore or Chennai. There is an urgent need to invest in tertiary and quaternary care hospitals that can effectively tackle three major categories of advanced technology-enabled healthcare services: invasive or surgical, diagnostic testing and lifestyle related. MVT dollars are critical to help cross subsidise such services so that Kerala can continue to adhere to its tradition of upholding Universal Healthcare. The forex revenue will also be instrumental in ensuring competitive compensation for medical professionals so that they do not have to risk their lives in war-torn Syria and Iraq. DK Within a span of 13 years, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Thiruvananthapuram has grown from a super-specialty centre to a tertiary care centre and is currently in the process of transformation to a quaternary care hospital. KIMS has a dedicated international patients relations team for extending personalised care and service to the foreign nationals seeking specialised treatment. According to KIMS Executive Director E M Najeeb, KIMS can definitely play a vital role in raising PUBLIC-PVT. TIE-UP NEED OF THE HOUR the benchmark of healthcare services in the State. In Kerala, a revolution has already been set off in the field of quality healthcare. In order to increase the healthcare quality standards, the government should go for publicprivate partnerships which are quite often practiced in Western countries. KIMS will be in the forefront if the government moves with such initiatives which will be a great boon to the patients seeking medical treatment in the State. KIMS has dedicated desks for in-house travel and currency exchange. Once the treatment gets completed, guided tours in and around the city are arranged for the patients as well as those accompanying them. Ultra modern, sophisticated, well-furnished designer rooms on the executive floor offer 5-star comfort and luxury to add to the exclusive KIMS care and experience. We have been following a multi-disciplinary approach wherein the patient gets all the treatment under one roof. The foreign patient traffic has been steadily increasing over the past 13 years and currently, we treat around 40,000 patients per year, he said. With five super-specialty/tertiary care centres and two wellness centres, KIMS is recognised as the largest private hospital network in Kerala with a bedstrength of As part of its expansion plan, a firstof-its-kind resort-themed super-specialty hospital in India is being planned at Thonnakkal in Thiruvananthapuram district. Apart from this, the flagship hospital in Thiruvananthapuram will be adding 200 beds. Building a green field project in Nagercoil region for extending super-specialty treatment to neighbouring Tamil Nadu and increasing the bed strength of the existing facilities in Kochi, Kottayam and Kollam, are also on the cards. October 2015 Destination Kerala / 11

12 ISSUE THEME / Medical Value Travel RE-INVENTING KERALA S USP IN QUALITY HEALTHCARE A person coming to Kerala for treatment can save 30 to 70 per cent even if we consider air travel and accommodation expenses by at h u l lal a g photo courtesy: kims Setting off a revolution in the field of quality healthcare in Kerala, stakeholders of the industry have embarked on a unique mission to transform the State into one among the topmost destinations for Medical Value Travel (MVT) in Asia by In an unprecedented manner, both the government as well as private players are working in unison for the cause taking a cue from the Singapore model. The upcoming fifth edition of Kerala Health Tourism Conference being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the support of the State Government in Kochi in October is one step towards achieving this goal. Globally, according to a KPMG India and FICCI report, the medical tourism industry was valued at USD 10.5 billion in It is expected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 17.9 per cent from to reach USD 32.5 billion in Each year, seven million patients are said to be travelling to receive medical care. The cost of medical treatment and the availability of state-of-the-art technology are the most important factors prompting them to travel abroad for treatment. 12 / Destination Kerala October 2015

13 THE AVAILABILITY OF TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS WITH NABH ACCREDITATION IS A MAJOR FACTOR WHY TRAVELLERS CHOOSE KERALA FOR AVAILING HIGH-END TREATMENT As per the statistics released by the Union Ministry of Tourism, the number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) to India in 2014 was 76.8 lakh. Of this, roughly, close to 3 per cent constitutes the number of medical FTAs. In 2012, according to KPMG India, the total number of medical tourists who came to India was 1.7 lakh. WHY KERALA? The availability of tertiary care hospitals with quality accreditation from National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) is the pull factor for the travellers to choose Kerala for availing high-end treatment. Apart from this, the availability of internationally trained doctors and skilled paramedical team, salubrious climate and mature tourism products, connectivity to the State and relaxation of visa policy, and holistic and uncompromised medical care to the patients are also considered by the tourists while zeroing in on Kerala. A person coming to Kerala for medical treatment can have savings anywhere in the range of 30 to 70 per cent even if we include the expenses for air travel and accommodation. For instance, if a heart bypass surgery costs about USD 130,000 in the US, hospitals here have the wherewithal to do it in less than USD 7,000. Similarly, if a knee replacement procedure in the US costs about USD 40,000, a leading Indian hospital will do it in roughly USD 9,200. According to E M Najeeb, Executive Director of KIMS, in order to enhance healthcare quality standards, the Government should take the initiative for public-private partnerships in this sector which are quite common in western countries. The State Government with the support of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can activate a network wherein the patients can search and select the best and affordable treatment facility available in Kerala, said Najeeb, who is also a leading figure in travel and tourism industry. Such a consolidated effort will definitely strengthen the synergy between the health and tourism industries transforming the State into a medical tourism hub. National or international accreditation can be the criteria for shortlisting hospitals that can be promoted for medical value travel. KIMS will be in the forefront if the government moves ahead with such initiatives which will be a great boon to the patients seeking medical treatment in the State, he said. Experts feel that there is an urgent need to invest in tertiary and quaternary care hospitals that can effectively address three major categories of advanced technology-enabled healthcare services: invasive or surgical, diagnostic testing and lifestyle-related. The forex revenue will also be instrumental in ensuring competitive compensation for medical professionals in Kerala so that they do not have to risk their lives in war-torn Syria and Iraq. October 2015 Destination Kerala / 13

14 ISSUE THEME / Medical Value Travel Why do you think, asks Dr. Harish, CEO of Aster Medcity, Malayali nurses are stuck in strife-torn areas like Libya, Iran and Iraq? In a hospital like Aster, we charge Rs. 200 as consultation fee for a doctor. The same doctor, if he sits in Delhi, will get Rs Because of the economics of the situation, you cannot compensate your manpower adequately. The only way we can come out of this whirlpool is by focusing on MVT and by cross subsidising our population, he said. BENCHMARKING, THE NEED OF THE HOUR Currently, the entire medical value travel traffic which is originating from West Asia go straight to Thailand or Singapore. A study by E&Y indicates that medical tourists look for coordinated care on medical campuses or in integrated health cities like in Singapore or Bangkok. The rest of their expectations are similar to any tourist. Kerala now has 22 NABH accredited hospitals (including State-run hospitals) and two JCI-accredited hospitals. Meanwhile, Singapore has 21 JCI-certified hospitals and earned USD 832 million in 2013 through MVT. Dr. Harish, who is also the chairperson of healthcare committee for CII, said it is important to cultivate a mature healthcare ecosystem beyond insular centres of excellence for MVT to succeed. According to him, task forces involving representatives from all the hospitals have been constituted to work on a mission mode for the purpose. In Singapore, all the government and private hospitals are JCI accredited. We should also look at benchmarking. In five years time, we should become the first State in India having NABH accreditation for all hospitals. The common man will benefit the most. You can notice the change in Ernakulam General THE STATE GOVERNMENT WOULD ACT AS A FACILITATOR IN PROMOTING MEDICAL TOURISM IN KERALA BY ENVISAGING PRO-ACTIVE POLICIES 14 / Destination Kerala October 2015

15 photo courtesy: kims Hospital after it received the NABH accreditation, he said. The need of the hour, according to Rev. Fr. Johnson Vazhapilly, the Executive Director of Rajagiri Hospital, is to constitute a body with Secretaries of Health and Tourism Departments heading it. A welcome sign is that stakeholders have started working collaboratively shedding the sceptical attitude. Only that will bring in lasting results. There can be a win-win situation even if there are many players, he said. Talking to Destination Kerala, Health and Family Welfare Department Secretary Dr. Ellangovan IAS said that the Government would act as a facilitator in promoting medical tourism by envisaging pro-active policies. LESSONS TO LEARN popular destination A for cosmetic surgery procedures, Thailand is home to internationally accredited medical facilities. Thailand has 37 healthcare facilities accredited to the JCI. Bumrungrad International is one of the leading hospitals in Thailand, which caters to about 1,000 international patients everyday with the help of over 900 physicians across 55 specialties. Out of the million patients the hospital treats annually, more than 520,000 are foreign nationals. Largely famous for complicated medical procedures such as heart surgeries, Singapore has been positioning itself as a destination for modern medical technology with highly trained doctors. It ranks sixth among 191 countries with advanced health systems in the world. Towards this, the State Government has started actively promoting organ transplantation. Kerala State Network for Organ Transplantation has been constituted for the purpose. The forum will strictly ensure smooth conduct of transportation procedures and see to it that the queue of recipients is not violated unless in a life-saving situation. Besides, the Government is considering the possibility of setting up an air ambulance service to support organ transplantation activities, the secretary said. Meanwhile, noted Medical Oncologist Dr. V P Gangadharan, newly appointed special officer for Kochi Cancer Centre, shared a slightly different view. No doubt, we have to raise the standards of healthcare. But, if you want to transform Kerala into the most sought-after destination for MVT, you need to project the success rate of medical procedures. We have to do basic research, compile data from hospitals and showcase the results. If the success rate is high, it is implied that you have the best expertise and advanced facilities, he said. ULTRA SOUND IMAGING SYSTEM AT RAJAGIRI HOSPITAL October 2015 Destination Kerala / 15

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