Kerala as an MVT Destination Upbeat Healthcare Providers Seek Teamwork

The titans of the healthcare industry deliberated on issues pertaining to Medical Value Travel (MVT) in Kerala and opportunities ahead at the fourth CEO Roundtable on the theme ‘Shaping Asia’s Emerging MVT Destination’.

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On March 13, 2017, the fourth edition of RADO Switzerland presents Destination Kerala CEO Roundtable: The Growth Dialogues powered by INKEL Limited was held at the Le Meridien Kochi. This time, the panellists, all senior business leaders from the modern healthcare industry, discussed how Kerala can emerge as South Asia’s leading Medical Value Travel (MVT) destination. The distinguished panel consisted of S K Abdulla, CEO, VPS Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi; Ashok P Menon, CEO, Cosmopolitan Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram; Dr. Harish Pillai, Cluster Head-Kerala, Aster DM Healthcare and CEO, Aster Medcity, Kochi; Rev. Fr. Johnson Vazhapilly CMI, Executive Director, Rajagiri Hospital, Aluva; Krishnakumar Ananthasivan, Director, Grant Thornton India; P Neelakannan, Group COO, KIMS Healthcare Group; Dr. Prashant Pillai, Director & Chief Dental Officer, TheSmileCenter.in, Kochi and Dr. Rahul Menon, CEO, Aster MIMS, Kozhikode. The session was moderated by Jose Kunnappally, chief editor, Destination Kerala.

What has been achieved in the last three years to become an MVT destination of choice?

DR. HARISH PILLAI: The policymakers at the Centre and State are in sync today in terms of agreeing on the potential of healthcare industry to create employment and provide better quality of care to the population. They recognise the demand-supply gap and want both the private and public sectors to address it. This is a historic opportunity for our State known for its healthcare professionals. In the last few years, infrastructure investments in healthcare have been massive, so the gaps are getting filled. A perfect winning strategy for Kerala is starting to play out.

Our healthcare industry has a fragmented approach where hospitals promote themselves and not Kerala as an MVT destination.