21st Century will be Driven by Healthcare

Last century was driven by machines; this century will be driven by healthcare industry. As medical and technichal advances are opening up doors for new healthcare treatments, mankind are seeking longer,  healthier lives. With more public attention on health, the industry is growing by the day.

Dr. Devi Shetty

During the last Global Investors Meet in Bangalore, India, Dr. Devi Shetty, Chairman of Narayana Hrudalaya said that there is no other industry in the world that can create as many jobs as the healthcare industry for women coming from lower socio-economic status. As an example; for a quarter of a million dollar turnover, the IT industry requires just 5-10 people. But for the same turnover, the healthcare industry requires 250 people, who mainly come from lower socio-economic segments. This is particularly true in India, where the healthcare sextor presently is valued at over US$34 billion, and is expected to reach over US$75 billion by 2010, and the amazing US$150 billion by 2017, according to Technopak Advisors.

Mr. Vishal Bali, CEO for Fortis Healthcare

The CEO of Fortis Hospitals, which is one of the major healthcare players in India, Vishal Bali said, “Over 3,500 international patients got treated at our hospitals in Bangalore in the last one year. About 50 per cent of them came from the developed world. From the perspective of global connectivity, with new international airport, the city is connected to almost every international destination. This is a big boon to healthcare.”

Bangalore is seen as one of the most important areas for medical tourism in India. In a research conducted by National Population Stabilization Fund in association with the National Informatics Centre, Bangalore was ranked as number 2 in the existence of health facilities in India. The next step is to set up an exclusive Healthcare City near Bangalore International Airport. There is no question that India is expanding its medical tourism costume to meet the needs of their international patients!

Would you go to India for global healthcare? Comment below or on the Novasans Facebook page!

Healthcare Tourism Congress 2010 Opens Today

Today, one of the largest medical tourism congresses and fairs opens its doors; Healthcare Tourism Congress 2010. The event is held at The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and will last between the 12th and 13th of April. The keynote speaker and opener of the event is no less than Malaysia’s health minister, mr. Y.B. Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai. Other speakers today are Josef Woodman, author of Patients Beyond Borders, mr. Raymond Chong Chin Wah, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Samitivej Group of Hospitals, Thailand, and Dr. Umapathy Panyala, Chief Executive Officer of the Apollo Hospitals in India.

Novasans are proud media partners to the congress, and will cover the fair and its main topics here and on our Facebook page.

Gay Couples Find Surrogate Mothers in India

A new form of medical tourism is arising. Recently, there has been an increase in American gay couples opting to get children by using surrogate mothers in India, by some called “pregnancy outsourcing”. Commercial surrogacy is a prospering industry in India, and for years childless foreign couples have seen this as their way to parenthood. Now, gay couples are getting more aware of the possibility.

In the U.S., laws governing adoption and surrogacy differs from state to state. In India, on the contrary, surrogacy is legal and losely regulated. It is also non-discriminatory on grounds of sexual orientation. Another very important benefit is the fact that very few Indian surrogate mothers will claim any legacy to the child.

The medical treatment is called In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and the Indian clinics claim a high success rate as doctors are allowed to implant up to five embryos into the uterus at one time. In many other countries only two implants are allowed at one time.

Opportunities for gay couples to find surrogate mothers abroad have grown substantially in the last year, according to the Indian Surrogacy Law Centre, a legal firm based in Chennai. G.R. Hari, a partner in the firm, says “South Africa is now advertising access to such surrogacy, but India has the highest volume because procedures here are simple and more affordable than other countries.”

But while the proponents advocate the benefits stated above, the critics warn that the lack of effective legislation around surrogacy encourages exploitation of young, poor Indian women.

The first foreign gay couple to attain a baby through surrogacy in India were two Israelis in 2008. The price, including medical charges and the payment for the surrogate lies around 20,000 USD. From this sum, the surrogate mother receives around 8,000 dollars.

Fish Oil as Supplement can Beat Mental Illness

A recent study from an international team based at the Medical University of Vienna and Orygen Youth Health Research Centre in Melbourne shows that taking a daily fish oil capsule can deflect mental illness in those at the highest risk.

The researchers studied and treated 81 people deemed to be a particularly high risk of developing psychosis for a year, and the study revealed that a three-month course of the fish oil supplement appeared to be as effective as drugs. The rate of psychotic illness was cut by a quarter with this medication.

The study authors says that ”the finding that treatment with a natural substance may prevent, or at least delay, the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotic drugs.”

The concurrent side effects with antipsychotic drugs are the main objective for researchers to find alternative treatment. Fish oil supplements are generally well tolerated by people and easy to take. The researchers believe that the omega-3 fatty acids found in the supplements may alter brain signalling in the brain, which have beneficial effects on patients.

Alison Cobb, working at the mental health charity Mind, says that ”these are promising results and more research is needed to show if omega-3s could be an alternative to antipsychotics in the long term.”