A roundtable conference with senior IFS Officers on Building Brand India was held on 12th May 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The conference was addressed by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
In his address, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya noted that India with its high-end healthcare ecosystem and world-class medical facilities has become an attraction for the whole world. “Today, people from different countries of the world are coming to India for treatment in large numbers. With an aim to further boost Medical Tourism, the Government of India has launched ‘Heal in India’ program. Similarly, we have started the ‘Heal by India’ program. This will provide an opportunity for our medical workforce to travel all over the world and contribute to a healthy global society. We are committed to making India a Global Medical Value Hub by further strengthening our traditional medicine industry and boosting ‘Heal in India’ & ‘Heal by India’ initiatives”, he said.
Highlighting the need to take steps to further strengthen the Medical Value Tourism, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya suggested establishing facilitation centres at the Indian Embassies across the world for the people wanting to travel to India for treatment. In addition, a system to get feedback/testimonials from people who are getting treated in India can be instituted. A ‘One Step’ portal is being made for the convenience and ease of credible information for those who want to take treatment in India from abroad. These measures will help us in making medical tourism, ‘Brand India’.
There was another ‘Round Table of Indian Foreign Service officers, organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and Invest India. The conference witnessed several dignitaries from the Union government, diplomats, senior officers and investors from different segments. The interactive session covered investment promotion and other initiatives of the government toward building the brand India.
The Round Table was addressed by the Minister for Development of North East Region, Tourism and Culture, G. Kishan Reddy. He said that two aspects were found to be fundamental for strengthening the North East region – the need for greater Public-Private Partnership and tapping into the inherent potential of the region such as Tourism, organic farming, agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, textiles, handicrafts, IT sector,BPO and services industry, were found to be common across. He called on all the IFS officers to leverage their global presence to spread the word and help build brand “North East India as Paradise Unexplored and a Land of Unlimited Opportunities”.
According to the recently released Medical Tourism Index 2020-21 by the Medical Tourism Association, India is currently in 10th position out of the top 46 countries, 12th in the world’s top 20 wellness tourism markets, 5th out of 10 wellness tourism markets in Asia-Pacific region. The treatment costs in India are 65 to 90% less than the cost of treatment in America. In India, there are 39 JCI and 657 NABH accredited hospitals.
