India poised to become world's healthcare destination: Dr Sibal

India, with its immense expertise, sophisticated infrastructure and low costs, is poised to become the healthcare destination of the world, Dr Anupam Sibal, medical director, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said in Dehra Dun on Friday.

Addressing mediapersons in the Doon valley, Dr Sibal, a senior consultant, pediatric gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the Apollo Centre for Advanced Pediatrics in New Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said the country had now been attracting the overseas patients, who could get quality treatment at a cost ranging from one-fifth to one-tenth of the cost of treatment in other countries.

The health sector, with nearly 31 lakh employees, had become the second largest employer in the country after education and hence the government had begun to pay more attention to it, he added.

Dr Sibal stressed the need for the prevention of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, which he said would become the three ''big killers'' in India in the times to come.

He said the Apollo group, which had successfully been providing telemedicine facilities in the Northeast, would soon extend it to Kargil, Leh and Srinagar.

The group would like to cooperate with the Uttaranchal government to provide the services to the hill state as well, he added.

Dr Sibal also urged the state government to take up the project of administering Hepatitis B vaccines to the newborns free of cost.

(UNI)