The medical tourism industry is making an exceptional progression in India. In October 2015, it was estimated to be US$3 million, which is likely to grow at a CAGR of 200% and is expected to be US$9 million by 2020.

India is becoming a preferred destination for medical tourism because of high-quality healthcare services provided to patients coming across the globe by world-class hospitals across the country. The in-demand specialties are cardiology, orthopedics, including joint replacement surgery, nephrology where savings for in-bound patients may increase from 30 to 70 percent.

India - a fertile ground for Orthopedics treatment!

India’s medical sector offers numerous budget-friendly medical choices to patients worldwide. It has highly-qualified and well-experienced surgeons that cater to successful orthopedic surgeries with top-notch facilities.

For instance, if we talk about knee surgery, then 85 to 90 percent of total knee replacement procedures performed tend to be successful for 10 to 15 years. However, it may also depend on the patient’s overall condition. It has been possible because this treatment is in-demand and has the highest success rate amongst the best orthopedic hospitals in India that are well-equipped with the advanced, cutting-edge technologies.

What is the average life expectancy of a total knee replacement?

As knee replacement surgery is a major one, it is mainly performed to resurface the knee joints and its surrounding parts that are damaged due to traumatic arthritis, injury, musculoskeletal trauma, infections, tumors, degenerative diseases, spine disorders, etc. These joints and parts are replaced with knee implants that are made up of metal or plastic. Depending on the type and quality of implant used, these implanted artificial knees are in a working mode even after 20 years.

Age also has a crucial factor in making surgeries successful and people who undergo a knee replacement are mostly between the ages of 50 and 80.

How much does orthopedic surgery cost in India?

India has skillful surgeons who are well-versed with a full spectrum of orthopedic disorders such as knee replacement, ACL construction, shoulder replacement/rotator cut-off repair, hip replacement, ankle replacement, or several spinal disorders.

Therefore, if we take an example of knee replacement surgery, then it ranges between USD 4000 to USD 6000 for a single knee and costs around USD 8400-12,000 for both knees depending on the needs tailored to your body. The pricing also depends on the type of implant used. If it is US FDA improved implants, then it may cost a bit higher. On the other hand, the cost may be lowered by 30% for an Indian implant.

Which is the most common orthopedic procedure carried out in India?

Orthopedic surgeries are the surgical treatment to correct skeleton-related problems including ligaments, tendons, muscles, dislocations, sports hernia, overuse injuries, impingement, sprains, joint repair/replacement or replacing degenerated joints. Such orthopedic disorders can affect anyone from infants to younger adults to older adults.

Outlook:
India is known to have a higher success rate in terms of medical treatment such as orthopedics, cardiology, neurology, nephrology, and more. A team of orthopedic personnel along with qualified nursing staff, well-facilitated hospitals packed with modern infrastructure and technological intelligence, have made it possible.