Highlights:

Even though the Indian economy has slowed down in 2009, the impact on Healthcare sector is much less in comparison to the other sectors. The healthcare sector at US$ 35 billion offers a great opportunity for those related to this sector.   

Healthcare, which is a US$ 35 billion industry in India, is expected to reach over US$ 75 billion by 2012 and US$ 150 billion by 2017, according to Technopak Advisors in their report – ‘India Healthcare Trends 2008’.

The great Indian middle class with their increasing buying power are the real impetus to the burgeoning health market. Over 150 million Indians have annual incomes of more than US$ 1,000, and many earn as much as US$ 20,000 a year. Today at least 50 million Indians can afford to buy allopathic medicines-a market only 20 per cent smaller than the UK market.
  
To meet this growing demand, the country needs US$ 50 billion annually for the next 20 years, says a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) study. India needs to add 3.1 million beds by 2018 to the existing 1.1 million, and requires immediate investments of US$ 82 billion, as per the Technopak Advisors report.
  
The private sector provides 60 per cent of all outpatient care in India and as much as 40 per cent of all in-patient care. It is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of all hospitals and 40 per cent of hospital beds in the country are in the private sector, says PWC.
  
Medical tourism is an important segment of healthcare industry. The attraction of high quality healthcare facilities at competitive costs has been instrumental in a large number of foreign arrivals to access healthcare services in India. Going by the current pace with which this segment has been growing, the CII-McKinsey study estimates that revenues from this segment could touch US$ 2.2 billion by 2012 (from the current figure of US$ 333 million).   

India's private healthcare sector is bracing up to face the medical tourism opportunity.   

Due to the surge in medical tourism, some of the major corporate hospital groups in India such as Apollo, Fortis, Max, Wockhardt and Manipal have made significant investments in setting up state-of-the-art hospitals in major Indian cities. Fresh healthcare capacities that are coming up will help sustain the trend. Several attractive projects are in the offing.

There are several reputed players in the sector.  
 
PRIVATE PLAYERS:

Apollo Hospitals (www.apollohospitals.com): Over 40 hospitals with 7,500 beds
Fortis Healthcare (www.fortishealthcare.com): Over 25 hospitals with over 1,900 beds
Wockhardt Hospitals (www.wockhardthospitals.net): More than 10 hospitals with over 1,500 beds
Max Healthcare (www.maxhealthcare.in): Close to 10 hospitals with over 800 beds  

INTERNATIONAL

Parkway Group, Singapore (www.parkwayhealth.com)
Pacific Healthcare Holding, Singapore (www.pachealthholdings.com)
Columbia Asia, Malaysia (www.columbiaasia.com)
EMAAR Group, Dubai (www.emaarhealthcare.com)