Punjab govt plans to tap potential of medical tourism sector
Chandigarh: The Punjab government said it has prepared a roadmap to tap potential of medical tourism sector which will give a boost to the state economy by employment generation and be attracting investments.
Riding high on the growing medical tourism in the country, Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said this sector can be exploited in a big way as the state has good infrastructure like roads, bridges and connectivity.
He said his department has framed a policy on medical tourism in order to gain benefits from the growing sector which is expected to reach USD 9 billion by 2020 in the country.
"India tops in global medical country index and medical cost saving in India is 70-80 percent which is largest in the world," he said here.
Two international airports, presence of Punjabi diaspora in over 67 countries, access to central Asian countries and proximity to large markets such as Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, will also give boost to medical tourism in the state, Sidhu said.
More than 16,000 medical professionals passing out in the state each year will also help boost medical tourism in the state, he said.
The minister said private players will be asked to set up their facilities in the state on public-private partnership mode wherein the department will invest land as equity.
"The companies will then share 55 percent of their profit with the government," he said.
He said his department has eight acres of land in Ropar and 500 acres in Amritsar where the medical tourism projects can be set up.
A global summit on medical tourism in Punjab will be held and a Punjab Medical Tourism Council will also be formed, he said.
"Comprehensive tourism and medical tourism policies on the lines of cultural policy are ready and they will be presented to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for approval," he said.