CBSE Board Class 12 English Un-Solved Passages
Chapter – 1 Reading Comprehension (Factual Passages)
Read the following passage carefully:
INDIA’S MEDICAL TOURISM
1. Medical tourism is an old concept dating back to ancient Greece. In India, this phenomenon is a multi million dollar industry today. I am proud that we are the generation that has witnessed an exponential growth of 25 to 30 per cent annually in this field. While I do believe that economical surgeries and cost effective medical procedures are the major reasons for the increase in medical tourist traffic in this country, there are other facets of the Indian medical tourism industry’s development, other than just low cost treatment.
2 Our wonderful country is a treasury of health, as it had been for thousands of years. India’s history in medicine dates back to the Atharva Veda- the first Indian text dealing with medicine. 3. India’s medical history is truly awe-inspiring with its traditional treatment therapies such as the Ayurveda and the Yunani, which have been passed down through hundreds of generations.
The best of everything
4. True to its history, our healthcare industry remains one of the best worldwide. In this day and age, our medical and healthcare services are as good as anywhere in the world and in some cases better We now have the best of everything best technology, best managers, best specialists and best nurses. A number of hospitals in India, like Apollo, which are accredited by international institutes, offer premier treatment at a rate almost 40 to 50 per cent less than that of any European or American country.
5. The high skill level of the medical industry in the country, combined with the lowest medical fee is what makes India such a great destination for healthcare serviceability.
6. More and more countries around the world are emerging as medical tourism destinations. Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, North America’s Cuba, to South Africa and even some European countries such as Hungary are a few of the top medical destinations in the world. Cuba has been a prominent medical tourism destination for almost 40 years now. From my personal experience, Cuba meets the remarkable reputation of its specialists, low-cost medical services and the facilities.
7. Medical tourism in Canada is also gaining popularity amongst foreign patients, especially the Americans. In the east, Thailand has zoomed forward with its medical tourism industry. This eastern country has around 33 JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited hospitals with a competent medical army.
8. This industry in Thailand has been gaining its acclaim for the past decade and it has grown into one. of the leading medical tourism destinations in the world. The ascendancy of India’s medical tourism in recent years has encouraged a number of international pharmaceutical companies, NRI and foreign investors to invest in numerous multi-speciality hospitals in the country. Most of these hospitals are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, enabling the specialists to tackle the ailments and serious diseases
Personal touch
9. Recently, these hospitals began to administer personalized medical tour packages for tourists at highly affordable prices. The tour planner offers services like fixing appointments with concerned specialists at a world-renown hospital, making arrangements for escorting, transportation and accommodation as per the requirement of the patient, helping to obtain medical visas and preparing other documents as required by the health centers and even making arrangements for sightseeing, local transportation, and shopping, if required by the patient or family members.
10. The Indian healthcare industry is growing rapidly and is expected to become a $280 billion industry by 2020. Rise in income standards and an increase in older population, shifting demographics, disease variations and the explosion of lifestyle diseases in India are a few factors that are feeding this growth. 11. Compared to other medical tourism destinations, India will inevitably take a lead, essentially due to the cost effectiveness of treatment available in this country. For example, a patient from the UK who plans to travel to a medical tourism destination has more chances of saving better if he/she decides to visit India than say, its competitor Thailand.
12. As of today, there is almost a difference of $1,000-2,000 between India’s and Thailand’s medical procedures like bone marrow transplant, heart transplant surgery, knee replacement surgery or even cosmetic body contouring.
13. Despite the minor stagnancy in the Indian medical tourism industry due to the recession, there is an outstanding scope for this country to move forward. In almost 50 years of my experience, I have never seen an industry so young attain the level of success and popularity that our country’s medical tourism industry has achieved. It’s just a matter of years before India takes over as the world’s largest health travel destination. BON Source: Pratap C Reddy, Business Standard
Questions:
A. On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the questions given below by choosing one of the options that follow:
(i) India’s medical tourism witnessed a fast growth because:
(a) our country is a treasury of health.
(b) in India it is low cost treatment.
(c) India’s healthcare industry is the best.
(d) in India 40% to 50% discount is given on all medicines.
(ii) Cuba has been a leading medical/tourism destination because of
(a) excellent treatment with 50% to 60% discount.
(b) all hospitals being equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
(c) premier treatment at nominal cost.
(d) low-cost medical services and the facilities.
(iii) The tour planners also play a significant role in medical tourism by:
(a) making arrangements for escorting, transportation and accommodation as per the requirement.
(b) fixing appointments with concerned specialists.
(c) helping to obtain medical visas and preparing other required documents.
(d) All of the above
(iv) A patient from the UK will prefer to visit India to Thailand because:
(a) it is more convenient to reach India.
(b) India’s climate is better than that of Thailand.
(c) India provides excellent treatment at a low cost.
(d) Indian hospitals are equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
(v) India’s medical tourism industry is:
(a) unsuccessful and unpopular.
(c) stagnant.
(b) successful and popular.
(d) a dying industry.
B. Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Where did the concept of medical tourism originate? India growing to be the most
(ii) Why is preferred destination for medical tourism?
(iii) Which Asian countries provide medical tourism facility today?
(iv) What services do the tour planners provide to the tourists in this sector?
(v) What are the factors that make India such a great destination for healthcare services?