New Delhi, Feb. 6: If Bangalore seems tough to reach, Bangkok will beep on the hospital radar.

India’s large potential in medical tourism is being blunted by a thicket of restrictive rules for such visitors and lack of awareness campaigns overseas, according to a study that warns of losing out to smaller countries like Thailand that have easier regulations.

Around 1.55 lakh such tourists came to India in 2010 but the number is seen as just a sliver of the Rs 4,000-crore global medical tourism market, says the study conducted by Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management and commissioned by the tourism ministry.

Thailand is one of the world’s top draws, getting over 12 lakh such visitors each year. Singapore, where even politicians and stars like Amar Singh and Rajinikanth opt for treatment, fares better than India with 3.74 lakh.

For India, the biggest problem is what the report dubs a “faulty” medical visa policy. The rules allow only three entries a year, with a mandatory two-month gap between two entries. So an in-bound patient who travels for consultation with doctors has to wait two months for treatment.

Another irritant is the requirement for such foreign visitors to report to government officials personally, a problem in cases of sickness. “The government should review the rule of personally reporting to FRROs (foreigners’ regional registration offices) and devise a more realistic and humane way,” the report says.

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