A group of Indian investors including a doctor and a businessman from Qatar, and legendary cricketer Kapil Dev has unveiled plans to launch a Rs10 billion healthcare project in Kerala.
Mohan Thomas, a leading ENT doctor and Hassan Kunhi, a well-known community member and entrepreneur were among the promoters of the proposed Kochi Medical City who met Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yesterday in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram seeking his support.
The chief minister assured the delegation that the government would consider the proposal for the super speciality health project for allopathic and Ayurvedic treatments of international standards, both in quality and facilities.
The project also proposes to provide medical education in various disciplines. It will also create large water lagoons for encouraging fish farming, a park and a forest to encourage breeding of birds and butterflies.
It aims to become one of the top 10 healthcare destinations in the world, a spokesman said.
The promoters hope to attract patients from other Indian states as well as international medical tourists with quality healthcare facilities.
It will employ 7,000 professionals and create nearly 25,000 indirect jobs.
The promoters say India lags far behind in attracting medical tourists due to lack of quality infrastructure despite a large pool of healthcare professionals. The present international market is worth about $10bn while India’s contribution is only 1%.
The project envisages setting up a 1,000-bed hospital offering modern medical treatment, a 50-bed Ayurveda hospital, a medical convention centre and a medical research centre which will focus on creating new treatment modalities that are more effective than those currently in place, the spokesman said.
There will be dental and paramedical institutions as well in the campus. In addition, medical and pharmaceutical companies will be provided office spaces so that they can come under one consolidated wing and this makes it easy for their research and marketing.
The project is expected to attract Indian doctors and technocrats settled abroad to relocate and encourage a reverse brain drain.
The former Indian cricket captain is a director of the Medical City while Dr Thomas is the chairman and Kunhi the managing director.
Others who attended the meeting were Mathew Francis, Jay V Jagannadhan, Mibu Jose, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, Norka Minister K C Joseph, Ports Minister K Babu and Agriculture Minister K P Mohananan.
Gulf Times ? Qatar?s top-selling English daily newspaper - Doha NRIs unveil plans for Kerala medical city
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