'Med visa an issue though more foreigners want to come India'

Medical visas to India have become a major obstacle for foreign patients willing to come here to avail quality healthcare available at a much low cost compared to the developed world, an official of a leading hospital said here today.
"More foreign nationals want to visit India owing to the low cost medical expenses... But getting a medical visa is the big obstruction," Apollo Hospitals chairman Prathap C Reddy claimed here today.
He has also written to the Prime Minister as well as to the Health Ministry requesting them to make it friendly for patients willing to visit the country.

"People who come for treatment have been instructed to report to the police station after entering the country. This is a disgrace for an ordinary man... Even the Rupee will come back to 55 against the Dollar if medical visas are made easier," he said.
Reddy said that the Apollo Hospitals has appealed to the West Bengal government to implement laws which requires a doctor to declare a patient brain dead when he reaches that stage.
Asked about the investment in the PPP sector in the state, Reddy said that the medical care company is willing to work with the state government on this.