“Medical Tourism India” is a developing concept whereby people from world over visit India for their medical and relaxation needs. The most common treatments are heart surgery, knee transplant, cosmetic surgery, and dental care. The reason India is a favorable destination is because of its infrastructure and technology, which is in par with those of the USA, U.K., and Europe. India has some of the best hospitals and treatment centers in the world and the best facilities.

On Sept. 4, 2005, 60 Minutes did a documentary entitled “Vacation, Adventure, and Surgery?”:
“This summer, millions headed out to foreign lands for vacation, adventure, tourism, or just a beautiful beach.
“But how about hip surgery or a multiple bypass or a facelift? (continued)

Thailand is an exotic vacation spot known for its Buddhas, its beaches, its brothels, and the bustle of Bangkok.

“But for people needing medical care, it’s known increasingly for Bumrungrad Hospital, a luxurious place that claims to have more foreign patients than any other hospital in the world. It’s like a United Nations of patients here, and they’re cared for by more than 500 doctors, most with international training.
The hospital has state-of-the-art technology, and here’s the clincher: the price. Treatment here costs about one-eighth what it does in the United States. It's the No. 1 international hospital in the world.

“‘It’s sort of ground zero. I haven’t heard anybody yet who’s told us that they take more than 350,000 international patients a year,’ says Curt Schroeder, CEO of Bumrungrad.

“One patient is Byron Bonnewell, who lives 12,000 miles away in Shreveport, La., where he owns and runs a campground for RVs. A year and a half ago, he had a heart attack, and his doctor told him he really needed bypass surgery.
“‘They told me I was gonna die,’ says Bonnewell, who didn't have insurance.
“He estimates he would have had to pay over $100,000 out of his own pocket for the operation he needed, a complicated quintuple bypass…
“But Bonnewell says his health was deteriorating quickly, when he read about Bumrungrad Hospital: ‘I was in my doctor's office one day having some tests done, and there was a copy of BusinessWeek magazine there. And there was an article in BusinessWeek magazine about Bumrungrad Hospital. And I came home and went on the Internet and made an appointment, and away I went to Thailand.’
“He made that appointment after he learned that the bypass would cost him about $12,000…
“But three days after walking into the hospital, he was on the operating table. Two weeks later, he was home.
“How does he feel? ‘Wonderful. I wish I’d found them sooner,’ says Bonnewell. ‘Because I went through a year -- I was in bad shape. I couldn’t walk across the room.’

Globalization has just begun in many respects. We keep moving up the ladder, from manufacturing, to research and development, and now to medical operations. The Fed can pump all it wants, but if the cost is low enough somewhere else, the cost of that service simply must come down.

Now to find out how to invest in the stock that will capitalize on this.

Does anyone out there Know?

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