Eyeing the 40 million American citizens who are without medical insurance and are on the look out for cheaper treatment, India has cleared the proposal to adopt the US model of health care in mega cities.
"Some US medical experts will travel to India to help develop an Indian model based on the US model with required modifications," a renowed NRI doctor and founder president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Navin Shah told PTI.
Shah, who during his recent visit to India met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to promote the concept, said development of world standard medical facilities would ensure "several millions of dollars" for India through treatment of Americans and other foreigners.
This will also have a spill over effect in the form of medical tourism, Shah said.
To provide accreditation for hospitals with over 100 beds, NRI doctors in America, to begin with, will provide three experts to help develop the US model of medicare in Mumbai, he said.
Shah said even billions of dollars could be earned by tapping the 40 million Americans without the US medical card and other foreigners by providing cheap and quality treatment.
The Indian model of treatment will include setting up of trauma centres for which the health ministry has been provided a high budget, he said.
"Ramadoss told me that he is in the process of creating an accreditation foundation of India, a non-govt body," Shah said adding the work is been done with Quality Council of India in conjunction with the external affairs and the civil aviation ministries.
The Indian model of health care with the assistance from the US based NRI doctors will cover four medical college hospitals and eight major hospitals in Mumbai as part of Phase I programme, Shah said.
Shah, who is a practicing urologist and president of medical staff, Doctors Community Hosptial that has 500 physicians, said he also met Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and health ministry officials of the state to give final shape to the project.
