Wednesday, September 21 2005 15:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Government has set up a task force on medical tourism, which will suggest measures to promote India as a healthcare destination, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said in New Delhi today (Sept 21, 2005).

"The task force under the chairmanship of Director General of Health Services will assess the opportunities for promoting India as health destination," Ramadoss said at the ASSOCHAM Conference on Health Tourism.

The task force would work in an inter-ministerial approach with inputs from various ministries such as tourism, external affairs, railways and civil aviation, he said, adding it would come out with the report soon.

In a bid to standardize the healthcare services, a pre-requisite to attract foreign patients, the Government was working on a Clinical Establishment Act, which would make registration of all hospitals and diagnostic facilities compulsory, the minister said.

He said India was now getting patients even from the developed world due to high cost of treatment there.

"While Cuba has promoted medical tourism through its marketing network, Thailand has focused on superior consumer experiences and brand equity. South Africa specializes in medical safaris," he said, adding there was a need to evolve imaginative packages given country's rich cultural heritage and places of scenic beauty and architectural interests.

To rationalize the flow of tourist traffic, the Ministry of Home Affairs had introduced a new category of visa called 'medical visa' which can be given for specific purpose of medical treatment, he said.