Falling Indian currency : Double bargain in Cosmetic Surgery for Medical Tourists

Oct. 6, 2008 - PRLog -- Medical tourism or health travel, where patients travel overseas for operations, has grown rapidly in the last few years, especially for cosmetic surgery. Various factors like high costs and long waiting lists at home, new technology and skills in destination countries, reduced transport costs and Internet marketing, have played major role in growth of medical tourism. The difference in price between medical care in one’s home country and that in medical tourism destination countries continues to be the main reason for patients to seek surgery, dental treatment, medical care and procedures far from home.
The big question in today’s changing financial scenario is whether the patients who plan traveling overseas should be paying attention to currency rates and fluctuations when choosing a destination. Of course, they should because currency exchange rates do have an impact on costs of medical travel to different countries. Consumers weigh costs as a major factor in choosing medical care overseas, though other factors like safety, quality and expertise are equally important.
The Indian Rupee has declined sharply in the past 6 months against other major world currencies, which generally has the effect of making Indian goods and services less expensive for people who are spending in dollars, when they travel abroad. Calculation of packages in Rupee value has given a double bonanza to the overseas visitors visiting India for Plastic Surgery  & Cosmetic Surgery, as Indian packages were already 60-70 % less than those in US and on top of that a further 20% reduction due to Indian currency depreciation is an icing on cake for patients from USA and Europe.
India’s leading Plastic surgery website, www.indiaplasticsurgery.com is providing Cosmetic Surgery procedures at existing Rupee value instead of Dollar value of the procedure for limited time period keeping in mind the benefit of medical value travelers. Giving an illustration, it means that a Tummy Tuck procedure package costing Indian Rupees 150,000 was equivalent to $3846 about 6 months back (@1 US Dollar =39 Indian Rupees) whereas due to fall in value of Rupee, it is now equivalent to $3191(@1 US Dollar =47 Indian Rupees). This gives a saving of  $655, meaning this procedure was 21% more expensive 6 months ago over its current price.
Dr K M Kapoor, Chief Cosmetic Surgeon, www.indiaplasticsurgery.com said “This sudden rise the value of the dollar vs. the currencies in medical tourism destination countries especially India has made medical packages hugely attractive as already prices for medical services, surgery and dental treatment were at drastic discount from those in the United States and Europe. For U.S. patients, the good news is that the declining Rupee has made medical travel to India a more attractive option than it has been for a number of years now.”

The website www.indiaplasticsurgery.com is the only site in India offering the existing Rupee Value packages on the five most popular Cosmetic Surgery procedures till 31 Dec, 2008, which include Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty (Rupees 150,000/ $3191), Breast Augmentation with Cohesive Gel implants (Rupees 160,000/ $3404), Face and Neck lift (Rupees 155,000/ $3298), Rhinoplasty (Rupees 115,000/ $2447) and male breast (Gynecomastia) reduction (Rupees 120,000/  $2553).
(These calculations have been made at exchange rate of 1 US Dollar=47 Indian Rupees)