Gujarat University on Wednesday signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Birmingham, UK for a management exchange programme. The programme is meant for GU’s two management institutes— BK School of Business Management and KS School of Business Management.

This is the first time that GU has signed an MoU with an international university. On the cards are a few more MoUs with European universities especially for science and management courses. With the MoU signed between the representatives of the two Universities at GU, the university has entered into an agreement for purposes like students’ exchange, faculty exchange, research areas in management, summer projects programme and dual degree programme. ‘‘This is an attempt to make management education in the university at par with international standard, which has become vital in a globalised world,’’ said the GU V-C Parimal Trivedi.

With the MoU in place, both students and the faculty will be able to access knowledge of standard practices being exercised on international level in technology, world economics, latest infrastructure and administration facilities in management across the world, Trivedi asserted. GU has also initiated the process of signing MoUs with at least six universities in different European countries in subjects like science and management. Universities like Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland and Grenada University, Spain have evinced interest in signing MoU with GU for subjects as diverse as biotechnology, nanotechnology and management. ‘‘GU students will be able to access education in foreign universities at a much cheaper price as this will now be the responsibility of the university itself,’’ said Trivedi.

Source : Expressindia.com

Not just medicines, now doctors from the State believe that public relations will give that extra ‘edge’ to their profession. Medical tourism forms a vital component of the ongoing ‘Tourism Year’, and as cash-rich Gujarati NRIs fly home for medical treatment, doctors and hospitals are wooing them with packages, including deluxe accommodation and even English-speaking cab drivers. What’s more, doctors are also organising sight-seeing itineraries and beauty treatments for the patients, in addition to giving them attractive discounts for treatment.

Having caught global attention following her success with surrogate mothers, Anand-based infertility specialist Dr Nayna Patel ensures that her NRI patients are as comfortable as they can be. Right from tying up with leading chain hotels to do up their apartments, to hiring public relations officers to take the couple sight-seeing, everything is taken care of by her team. Dr Patel says, ‘‘We provide temporary residential facilities in a local apartment, tying up with five-star hotels for the best facilities.’’And for patients who are not well-versed with Gujarati or Hindi, an escort is pro vided to help them with shopping. Citing an instance, she says, ‘‘We had a patient from West Indies who wanted to see Gandhinagar. We provided him with a taxi driver who was well-versed in English.’’

Ajay Bakshi, marketing head of Sterling-Unity Hospital in Vadodara, says they have three health packages especially for NRIs. ‘‘Depending on the kind of check-up and package, the hospital also offers them rebates or free service on some tests,’’ he adds. With a bulk of NRI patients preferring Indian hospitals for cosmetic surgery, there are interesting trade-offs, too. Dr Samir Rawal, an Anand-based plastic surgeon, says he was promised free advertisement in US-based community newspapers for providing good service and treatment to an NRI patient.

Dr Chaitanya Buch from Vadodara, who launched a special NRI clinic recently, is offering NRIs a family health package. This enables the patient’s parents or relatives to avail themselves of free treatment. Moreover, elderly family members of NRI patients are given periodical tests, if necessary, and the details are sent to NRIs via e-mail.
Dr Mahendra Dhopte, Vadodara-based dermato-venerologist, says that apart from offering cosmetic surgery, their clinic also has full-time beautician to give tips as well as beauty treatments to patients. ‘‘We intend to propagate a new concept of skin and beauty nourishment to our patients,’’ he says.

Apollo Hospitals across the country have tied up with travel companies to attract NRIs as well as international patients. According to the arrangement, the treatment is clubbed with travel packages for holiday, family reunion or festive occasions. Though NRI patients flock to Ahmedabad, hospitals here say they are not in the business of offering ‘‘packages.’’ Sterling Hospital gets at least 5-7 NRI patients every week. ‘‘But we do not provide ‘packages’ as it creates doubt about the quality we offer,’’ says Mayur Trivedi, Marketing manager at Sterling Hospital.
Nearly 15 per cent of patients at Krishna Heart and Superspeciality Institute at Ghuma village near Ahmedabad are NRIs. ‘‘It costs them only one-eighth to one-fifth of the treatment cost they would have had to pay abroad.

Along with the guarantee of excellent treatment, they also enjoy the homecoming,’’ says Dr Animesh Chokshi, managing director of the hospital, denying that his hospital offers free check-up or treatment to the patients. November, December and January — also known as the NRI season here — ushers in business for hospitals in Surat. As the city lacks hospitals offering sophisticated technology, it’s mostly private practitioners who net the patients. ‘‘General practitioners as well as doctors practising opthalmology and dentistry get a lot of NRI patients as they can get their check-ups and minor operations done without a long waiting period. They also get appointments the same day,’’ says Dr Vinod Shah, Indian Medical Association’s Surat president.
Several NRI patients flock to Mahavir Cardiac hospital in Surat mostly for angioplasty operations. But orthopaedists fail to get NRIs as none in the city have laser equipment needed for joint replacement operations.

‘‘The concept of medical tourism is yet to take off here. However, big hospitals are coming up, bringing with them newer technology,’’ says Dr Ravi Kulkarni, a renowned general practitioner.
While Ahmedabad and Vadodara are cashing in on this trend, Rajkot lags far behind. Though the city offers a majority of medical facilities, the hospitals here have failed to conform to international standards. But things may soon change with a big pharmaceutical group like Wockhardt setting up a hospital here. Speculations about Apollo setting up a hospital here is also doing the rounds.
‘‘Once these plans materialise, Rajkot will also get on the medical tourism bandwagon,’’ says IMA’s Rajkot president Manish Gosai.

Govt frames medical tourism policy
GANDHINAGAR: TO ensure that its Destination Gujarat for NRIs and NRGs when it comes to medical tourism, the State Cabinet approved a new Gujarat Medical Tourism Policy at its weekly meeting on Wednesday. The aim of the policy: health services of international standards and at reasonable costs to patients who fly down to State for treatment, said government spokesperson I K Jadeja on Thursday evening. Under the Medical Tourism Policy-2006, private entrepreneurs will be invited to set up ‘Medicity’ and ‘Healthcare Park’ for upgrading medical facilities here. Besides this, a state-of-the-art School of Medicine complex will be set up where research activities will be carried out. The complex will be affiliated to a 2000-bed capacity hospital, said Jadeja.
The Cabinet has also given its nod to setting up of a Gujarat Medical Tourism Council to be headed by Health Minister Ashok Bhatt.

Source : Expressindia.com