Summary:
AJ Hospital treated 10 foreign patients in 2016-17, 55 patients in 2017-18 and 73 in 2018-19. This number is likely to increase, provided we keep giving quality treatment,” said cardiologist Dr Padmanabah Kamath.Dr Sachidananda Rai, president, IMA, Mangaluru, said patients from the Gulf region and African countries had taken a liking to getting medical treatment in Mangaluru, and that the city was slowly opening up to Westerners for medical tourism. Use of ultramodern technology is another reason, as the patients say they are satisfied with the quality of service and treatment.Currently, the highest inflow of foreign patients into Mangaluru is from the Gulf countries. MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada district is slowly opening up to medical tourism and the increasing number of patients from across the globe serve a testimony to this.In the last three years, as many as 240 foreigners have availed treatment in three prominent hospitals in the city. Of these, 50% patients arrived in Mangaluru in 2018-19.KMC Hospitals, AJ Hospital and Yenepoya Specialty Hospital have seen the maximum number of patients from foreign countries, including those from the US.According to doctors, patients from foreign countries trust Mangaluru only next to Bengaluru and Chennai with getting quality treatment..