Karnataka Government has teamed up with six district hospitals, which have ISO 9000 certification for its medical tourism project.

The hospitals are located in Mandya, Hubli, Chitradurga, Kolar, Belgaum and the Vani Vilas Hospital in Bangalore. The district hospitals, known for the multi speciality medical treatment options, can be accessed by tourists who require emergency medical care during their visits to tourist spots located in and around these districts, The effort is a bid to cash in on the treatment cost factor which is one tenth lesser than other countries.

Although the aim of the tourism industry is to attract medium and upper income group travellers who can see places and also have a first hand experience of the modern and traditional medicine expertise available in the state from the scores of private healthcare establishments, resorts and Spas in and around Bangalore, the district hospitals will offer the early medical care and then patients can be transported to the private hospitals in Bangalore for advanced treatment modalities, according to Mahindra Jain, Tourism Commissioner, Government of Karnataka.

The district hospitals have undergone a massive revamp under the World Bank funding and hence have the infrastructure and equipment to handle the emergencies, stated sources from the government.
Vani Vilas Hospital, a facility for women and children hospital has recently spruced up its facility with a Rs 4.2-crore funding from the World Bank. The hospital will focus on all paediatric disorders and will treat patients from the low income groups for rare disease, growth hormone therapy, neuro infections, paediatric AIDS, inteventional cardiology, pyogenic meningitis.

The 519-bed modern facility at Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, which is a State Government cardiac care hospital, has announced cheaper way to treatment modalities to rheumatic mitral valve disease, bypass surgeries and other serious cardiac disorders.

The Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Centre, which does not feature in the medical tourism group of hospitals, has always been a hot spot for the lower income patients from across the world for cardiac and neuro care and surgeries. Since the 333-bed super-specialty hospital provides treatment to any person at totally free of cost.

Karnataka is the only state, which offers a highest number of systems of medicine from allopathic, homeopathy, ayurveda, unani, Siddha and naturopathy, said Vishal Bali, Vice President, Wockhardt Hospitals.

Bangalore has been acknowledged as the city with the highest number of multi speciality medical centres. Its recent efforts to successfully treat a large number of international patients at its modern health centres in the city have proved the clinical competence and clinical delivery systems, added Bali.

The state multi speciality hospitals, which roped in for medical tourism, can handle serious treatment modalities are surgeries in cardiology, neurology, urology, nephrology, orthopaedics, dentistry, ENT, oncology, ophthalmology, sports medicine, cancer care, paediatrics-neonatal care, ayurveda therapy, holistic healing and naturopathy.

The list includes A.J Hospital and Research Centre, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Hosmat Hospital Mallige Medical Centre, Mallya Hospital, Manipal, Sagar Apollo, St. Johns Medical College Hospital, Bangalore Institute of Oncology, Bangalore Kidney Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Rajan Speech and Healing Centre, and Shekar Nethrayalaya.