Consumption Abroad: The Mode II of GATS (A Prefatorial Study of Medical Tourism in Gujarat State of India)
STRATEGIC WEALTH THROUGH STRATEGIC HR AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, pp. 531 - 543, Gopalakrishnan C., Muncherji Nina and Dhar Upinder, eds., Excel Books, New Delhi, Jan. 2009
Posted: 28 Feb 2011
Date Written: Jan. 2009
Abstract
Medical tourism is one of the major sectors amongst the trade in services that has been growing significantly the world over particularly with the establishment of General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) under WTO. This sector falls under Mode II - known as “Consumption Abroad” of GATS. India is the cynosure of Medical Tourists (MTs) amongst its competing countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Hong Kong, Philippines, Cuba, Hungary, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, etc. Ahmedabad in the State of Gujarat is one of the major centres in India, in addition to Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkatta, etc., where MTs have been coming for treatment in growing numbers. An attempt has been made in this paper to analyze the opinions and ratings for the quality and cost of various medical facilities availed by these MTs who had visited various hospitals in Ahmedabad for their treatment from various parts of the world e.g., US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, Korea, UAE, Africa, Sri Lanka, etc. In addition, the paper defines and describes the various issues related to medical tourism, such as GATS and Mode II-Consumption Abroad; Medical tourism with its historical perspective, its present scenario and reasons for medical travel; Opportunities and challenges for this sector of Indian industry and suggests the strategy i.e. entrepreneurial responsiveness and policy implications so that the Gujarat State as also the nation as a whole could get a larger pie of this growing global trade in services.
Keywords: Medical Tourism, General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), Mode-II -Consumption Abroad, Entrepreneurial responsiveness and policy implications.
JEL Classification: F2, I1, L83, M13
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation