COVID patients and Economy
At present COVID-19 positive patients are admitted in public sectors and
a very limited number of private sectors. In October 2015, India’s
medical tourism sector was estimated to be worth US$3 billion. The
industry could grow by 200% by 2020, hitting $9 billion, according to
Ministry of Tourism figures. This is because treatment costs in India
start at around one-tenth of the price of comparable treatment in the
United States or the United Kingdom. A recent publication in the media
suggests that several private hospitals in India have sustained revenue
losses of up to 90% since March. The private hospitals which account
for 58% of the country’s hospital face a twin quagmire – these sectors
try to beef-up additional manpower, equipment to ensure adequate
preparedness for safety in the hospital, on other hand there is a sharp
drop in revenues in terms of international patients, outpatient and
elective surgeries. The flow of international patients may still be less
for the next 3 months as well. The Indian government announced
20 trillion rupees ($266 billion) in support package in fiscal and
monetary measures to support the economy.