HOWZAT

Anupam Verma, Director of Administration at the Hinduja Hospital, said: “Large numbers of British Asians have been coming to Bombay for years but we believe the potential is still much greater. We offer replacement knees and hips, heart surgery and cosmetic surgery at a fraction of the price in Britain.

“Even after paying the air fare patients will find it affordable here. Bombay’s hospitals have a very high reputation and there are no delays. This is going to be big. That is why a concerted effort is being made now.”

India’s hospitals are also planning to offer to carry out operations for the NHS.

“We could save the NHS a lot of money and reduce waiting time considerably,” Mr Verma said. “We’re at an initial stage with contacts and there is no formal tie-up with the NHS yet, but that is what we are looking at in the future.”

Maharashtra, the state of which Bombay is the capital, is competing against other Indian states anxious to break into the Western market.

Mahendra Jain, tourism commissioner in the state of Karnataka, visited the World Tourism Mart in London in December to promote hospitals in Bangalore. The city, home to many of India’s call centres, also boasts 25 medical centres including eight world-class cardiac hospitals.

Madras also hopes to win patients from Britain. But Delhi is leading the way so far. The city’s Apollo Hospital claims to have treated about 60,000 foreign patients from 55 countries in the past five years.

James Campbell saved about £12,000 on knee surgery last year, including hotel bills and air fares, after spending about £8,000 to come to India from Scotland for surgery, compared with the estimated £20,000 he would have spent at home. Naresh Trehan, executive director at Escorts Heart Institute, said: “The main reason behind India emerging as a favourite destination for healthcare is that medical expertise available here is second to none.

“State-of-the-art corporate hospitals in India are now offering the same technology as their counterparts in the rest of the world.”

However, some medical experts are wary of the trend. Meera Shiva, from the Voluntary Health Association of India, fears that if wealthy Western medical tourists flood in, prices could be forced up to the detriment of local patients.

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