Travelling overseas for surgery or any other medical treatment is an important decision. Taking the right steps and following a systematic approach can make this choice a truly rewarding experience. This guide is aimed at helping you understand the complete process from the point you wish to evaluate your options till you actually come back home after visiting India for medical treatment.
INTERNATIONAL PATIENT'S GUIDE FOR MEDICAL CARE IN INDIA
A detailed invaluable information has been collated for you in just in 7 steps below :
As your health is of utmost importance to you, it is important that you empower yourself by doing some research before you decide to go overseas for medical care.
Update by reading all you can on the internet and other available media. If possible, talk to people who have been abroad for surgery.
Consult your General Physician or Surgeon and get his opinion. Request your General Physician to prepare a detailed medical history (summary) of your present medical condition as this would be required by the overseas hospital physician as a basic input for providing you an informed opinion on the course and cost of treatment. Your physician would also brief you about the procedure that may benefit you or an alternate treatment if available.
Your overseas physician would also advise you on planning the follow-up care in the home country after your return from India.
There are always various options available like whether you want to deal directly with the hospitals or go through a company working as a medical travel facilitator (a mediating medical travel facilitator Company provides you and end to end solution to all your requirement from the time you leave you country and reach back home in a dedicated and personalized way making it cost effective and a satisfying experience).
Mentioned are a few facilities preferably accredited Hospitals, Click here to see a list of Accredited hospitals in India
Getting in touch with us
Send your query by clicking on the send query button and emailing your present medical condition and the procedure that you are planning to undergo and send by clicking the Submit button. Make sure that you have filled in your phone number and email address correctly. You would get an Auto response email confirming receipt of your query almost by return mail. If you do not get this automated mail response, please log in your query again.
Usually we would get back to you with in 24 to 48 hours with an initial response and may ask you to send them more detailed medical information like scanned copies of your medical reports, x rays and MRI scans etc enabling the hospital specialist/ surgeon’s to give and opinion and a cost estimate
Sometimes the heavy scanned copies of medical reports may not go as attachments with your email. You can in that case use free services like www.yousendit.com to send the reports.
Final steps to decide on your medical treatment
We would should send you a detailed package cost with details of the inclusions and exclusions (costs not included in the package) to have complete transparency. This would also include the number of days of stay at the hospital included in the package.
We would also send you a profile of the surgeon or physician who would be treating you.
You can ask as many questions that you may like at this stage to your physician or surgeon to have a complete clarity regarding your condition and the expected results. How many days you will be required to stay at the hospital and in India after you get discharged from the hospital before you are able to fly back home? We would be able to arrange the accommodation for you within your budget for your post hospital stay in the India.
You can make the final decision about your treatment when all your questions are answered and the opinion/ estimate have been confirmed to you for the hospital finally selected by you.
Planning your travel to india
All major Indian cities are now connected to handle international flights from Europe, Middle East and Far East as well as have daily connecting flights.
Passport and Visa is a must requirement to travel to any country abroad .You need a valid Passport and Indian visa to enter India. If you do not have a passport, please apply for one. For medical treatment related reasons, the passport is issued on priority. If you already have a Passport, it MUST HAVE more than 6 months of validity still left on it. Or else please get the passport revalidated before applying for Indian Visa.
You can locate the local Indian consulate or Indian Embassy from the “Mission & Posts” section of Indian Government’s website http://india.gov.in/overseas/indian_missions.php
The website of the Indian Embassy or Consulate in your home country will have all the information about applying for Indian Visa.
Please ask the hospital to email you a formal invitation letter for coming to India for medical treatment and attach a copy of this letter with your visa application.
While you plan for your air travel, please check out the costs and air connections to the Indian city where you would be going on various airlines or travel websites. Or you also contact your local travel agents around you in your home country who specializes in inbound travel to India.
It is good idea to let your airline know through your travel agent about your special requirement like seat with a better leg room of wheel chair. Your travel agent will inform the airline of all such requirements to ensure a safe and comfortable travel for you and your companion if there during the travel to India.
In case you wish to stay for some more time for a holiday in India after your hospital stay, please carry your mobile phone handset with you.
You can buy an Indian Sim Card locally while in India and save money on local calling as well as be accessible to your Indian hospital or hotel staff.
Ready to go
Once the decision and all necessary formalities to have treatment is finalized, please do inform us about your travel plans, flight numbers etc so that they we can book your surgery, room and airport pick up in time. Please do try to provide this information at least one week in advance of your arrival in India as we would also brief you about the weather enabling you to do your packing accordingly.
You have a choice to transfer the cost of medical surgery or treatment by bank transfer to the hospital prior to your starting the journey or make a booking in advance prior to arrival. We would send you the Bank Wire Transfer Instructions of the Bank Account. You can send these to your bank and ask them to transfer the required money to hospital’s bank account in India. We would send you the confirmation of the receipt of your funds.
It is important that you carry all your medical records and any medicine that you may be taking with you. Heavy woolens or warm clothing is generally not required as the climate in India is generally warm and pleasant in winters. As long as you stay in the hospital, you will be provided comfortable hospital clothing to wear. We suggest you carry a few sets of loose fitting; comfortable clothing and a pair of walking shoes which you can wear post the surgery.
Please ensure to take photocopies of your passport, visa and other documentation and keep them separately at home informing the details of where you are going with someone at home.
Please take good care of your personal belongings, Passport, Cash, Air tickets etc. in the aircraft and till you reach the hospital.
Before your flight lands in India, please fill in the immigration and other form given to you by air hostess and hand over these to the immigration officer with the passport. Both the passport and a portion of form would be stamped and returned to you, please keep these safely
Please collect your baggage from the baggage area and proceed to the arrival area where you will find our representative waiting to receive you with a board in your name and he will take all care of you till reach you the hospital.
At the hospital
On arrival at the Hospital, you will be take to the room already reserved for you. The admission formalities would be completed in the room itself and some initial treatment related queries would be asked to you by the hospital admitting staff and the duty doctor.
Your passports ,valuables like cash, jewellery or expensive items can be kept in the safe deposit box in your room.
Your treating physician or surgeon will explain you the proposed treatment and answer any query from your side. The hospital will obtain your written consent to any operation and any other procedures (including investigations). You will then be asked to sign a consent form. Some procedures do not require formal written consent, but staff will explain all the risks, benefits and alternatives before asking for your verbal consent.
Food and Beverages - The Diet is an integral part of your medication. The hospital’s dieticians, in association with your doctor, will assess your diet needs. You are advised to follow the diet instructions specified by them for a speedy recovery. Please do let them know your diet preference. Your companion however would get the normal choice of meals and would be served food in the room itself. The hospitals also have a Cafeteria where the patient’s companions can walk in and choose from the varieties of cuisines available at that time.
During the course of stay in India from your arrival to departure and specially prior to being taken for surgery or procedure, your health updates would be informed to your family back home and also as you progress. Your companion will also be kept updated on daily basis.
As your surgeon or physician intimates about the discharge from the hospital. The hospital’s guest relations executive will inform you when your final bill is ready and if you have to pay any balance dues prior to leaving the hospital.
Please follow your physicians advice on rehab, physiotherapy and diet in a disciplined manner to help your speedy recovery.
While at the time of discharge from the hospital, you would be given a detailed Discharge report and copies of all the investigations done during your stay. You would also be explained anything that you may like to understand including your post care and medication.
The airline flying you back to your country will require a “Fit to Fly certificate” which will be provided by the hospital.
The hospital would also mention in case you have got a metal implant like stent or artificial joint, as that will exempt you from going through the metal detectors at the airport.
The return journey tickets would be reconfirmed prior to your departure and you would be dropped at the airport by our representative assisting you all along.
After you return back home
While you follow up on the post care instruction given by your physician of surgeon and progress towards speedy recovery, please share all your records with your local physician enabling him to monitor your progress and advise you from time to time.
If you need any help or advice from your treating surgeon or doctor in India, we would arrange the same through e-mail, telephone or web conferencing as required.
We would be following you on your health recovery for the first month ensuring all support is available to you from your our side through your treating physician here.
Once your recover fully, we would request you for your feedback enabling us to improvise further.
Do share your experience with others in your home country. Keep Smiling!
Please don’t forget to share your satisfying experience with others and let them also take the benefit of this service!!!!