Traveling in India is often a mixed blessing. My country offers 7000 years of history, enormous ethnic and economic diversity and breathtaking scenery. The beaches of Goa, which have been almost completely taken over by foreigners, offer – apart from almost perpetual sun and acres of golden beaches – easy availability of pot and other stimulants guaranteed to give you a high. However, tourists also encounter gut-wrenching poverty; and being pestered by beggars and urchins, who – for a price – are quite amenable to satisfy sexual perversions. Women tourists, although seldom in real danger, have to put up with brazen male stares and countless ‘accidental’ brush ups.

Now, a new branch of tourism is growing exponentially every year. Foreigners, many from America and Europe, are descending in droves for medical and cosmetic procedures at bargain basement prices. And why not? Major cities in India boast of several world class hospitals, with highly qualified and trained doctors and surgeons. They charge prices considered exorbitant by locals; and unbelievable by Westerners. For example, heart bypass surgery, which would cost $24000 in the US, would cost $6000 in a five-star hospital in Mumbai. A bone marrow transplant, which would set one back by anything from $250,000 to $400,000 in the US, can be had for $30,000 in India.

Ever since the advent of the ‘flower power’ tribe in the 1960s, a sizeable number of foreigners have come to India for the rejuvenation promised by yoga and Ayurvedic massage. Now, their numbers have been significantly augmented by ‘normal’ people seeking high quality medical treatment at affordable prices.

In addition to life threatening diseases, many folks are making a quick trip to receive procedures that would greatly augment their quality of life – like a hip or knee replacement; or shoulder joint replacement. Another attraction for coming to India for medical procedures is that the waiting time is much lower for any treatment in India than in any other country. While you might have to wait for several months to get a surgical operation done in the US, for example, in India things can be arranged within a week. Then there is the language factor. Unlike other developing nations, like Brazil, that also offer inexpensive medical treatments, all doctors at these high end facilities are reasonably fluent in English.

The newest boom in medical tourism is the demand for cosmetic surgery – hardly surprising in an age where ‘looking good’ has become almost a necessary ingredient for a good life. Procedures like Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), Rhinoplasty (nose job), Liposuction, Breast enlargement/reduction; and dental implants and crowns have become big draws. For obese folks, Gastric Banding and Gastric Bypass surgery are on offer.

The Indian government has belatedly woken up to the huge earning potential of medical tourism. A report, recently released by the Planning Commission, says "The hospitals established by private corporate players are of world class. They not only have the latest medical technologies but also have the services of Indian doctors and nurses with high degree of proficiency. The hospitals are completely equipped, upmarket and proficient and can measure up or even outshine any hospital in the West."