GUJARAT TOURISM CONCLAVE TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY

Our Bureau

Ahmedabad

In order to emerge as a leading player in the fast growing market medical tourism, Gujarat will add substantial infrastructure for attracting foreign tourist. It is betting on NON RESIDENT GUJARATIs (NRGs), corporate as growing rural income to consolidate its position. The state is also in the process of preparing a tourism policy and as a part of it, “Gujarat Tourism Conclave” will be organised in Ahmedabad on June 24^th, during which all the stakeholders in medical tourism will converge to deliberate on the ways to make Gujarat a global leader. Efforts are also on to make Gujarat a “Gateway to India” in the tourism sector, banking on its road and rail links with tourist place in the North as well as South India and making the sector the engine of growth b 2025.

Addressing media persons in Ahmedabad, tourism minister Jaynarayan Vyas, who also holds the health and family welfare portfolio, said Gujarat`s leading place in the pharma industry as well as established infrastructure will provide a strong foundation for growth in medical tourism in the state. “Gujarat tops in body donation, eye donation, knee joint replacement operations, kidney transplant and piles operation in the country. Moreover, it has highest per capita blood donation in the country. Gujarat is a unique state, where its hospitals, PHCs, drug laboratories, medical colleges and blood banks are accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare (NABH) as well as National Board of Accreditation for Laboratories (NABL).”

The Gujarat Government is expanding its medical facilities in a big way. The Government will invest Rs.1500 crore in setting up a state of art building in the civil hospitals campus, as a part of which 10,000new beds would be put in place in the next three years. Arrangements will also cathlabs at U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research. “From 1960 to 2008, the state had mere 500 seats in medical science but we have added seats each during 2009 and 2010. The coming years will see even larger addition. We have also increased the PG and super speciality seats in our colleges.

The government will act as a facilitator and will encourage private players to come up with infrastructure for medical tourism. Efforts are on to promote hill station of Saputara and pilgrimage site of Ambaji as ayurvedic treatment and rejuvenation hubs.”

However, insufficient facility of medical and health insurance for foreign tourist in the hospitals of the state is acting as a deterrent for Gujarat to emerge as a favourable destination, said Tushar Pandey, executive VP and country head (strategic Initiative and Relationship Management) of yes Bank. Acknowledging the drawbacks, the minister assured the audience that efforts are already on this front.

The Government is looking at tourism as the growth engine of the state as well as leading employers in the next 15 years. “By 2025 tourism sector would overshadow industries, agriculture and services sector in terms of growth,” said Jaynarayan.