Panel Suggests Using Medical Tourism Revenue to Support Healthcare for Poor
Parliamentary panel proposes a cross subsidisation model to make advanced medical treatment more affordable for economically weaker patients.
NEW DELHI, Aug 13: A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has proposed using revenue generated from foreign medical tourists and affluent Indian patients to help subsidise treatment for economically weaker sections.
The recommendation seeks to promote a cross subsidisation model in which corporate hospitals could allocate a portion of their earnings from high-paying patients towards providing affordable or subsidised care to people with limited financial resources.
The panel’s suggestion comes amid continuing concerns over the affordability of advanced medical treatment in India. While the country has emerged as a major destination for international patients seeking specialised procedures, access to such facilities remains difficult for many low-income families.
Under the proposed approach, hospitals benefiting from medical tourism and higher-paying domestic patients could contribute towards a system that expands access to costly procedures for underprivileged patients.
The committee’s recommendation is aimed at making the benefits of India’s expanding healthcare sector more inclusive. It also highlights the need for private healthcare providers to balance commercial interests with broader social responsibilities.
India has developed a growing medical tourism sector, attracting patients from several countries for specialised treatment at comparatively competitive costs. The panel’s proposal seeks to connect this expanding sector with the objective of improving healthcare access for vulnerable sections.
The recommendation could encourage healthcare institutions to explore structured mechanisms through which earnings from premium services can support treatment for patients who cannot afford expensive medical care.
