Bengaluru city now a hot spot for international medical tourists

Bengaluru: Sixty-year-old South African Ally Mlege has recently got his teeth fixed by a city-based doctor after visiting many clinics from across the country (Delhi and Mumbai). “I came from South Africa to replace my old moving denture with new one. I also wanted to replace my infected teeth with fixed ones,” informs  Ally.

He was diagnosed with an atrophic jaw, which means there’s no jaw bone on which to fix teeth or implants. His condition meant there would be a lengthy timeline for the procedure, which he could not afford. “They advised me to go for bone developing (Bone grafting/ sinus lift) surgeries first and implants after 6 months and the teeth after another 6 months,” says Ally.

However, after consultation with Dr Sudhakara Reddy, consultant, Maxillofacial surgeon and Implantologist at Apollo White Dental, and after explaining his problems, he was assured of getting his teeth fixed in 10 days without doing any kind of aggressive surgical procedures.  Dr Reddy performed a ‘keyhole’ implant procedure with minimal bleeding by using the combination of basal, disc and plate form (Hybrid).

The result was that Ally got  his teeth fixed in 10 days. Like Ally from South Africa, the IT city has attracted various patients for dental treatment. They come here to beat the mammoth cost of treatment in their countries and opt for economical, budget-friendly  ‘packages’ with local healthcare providers.

“We perform almost 15-20 surgeries a month, which include implants, cosmetic dentistry, crowns and other procedures,” informs Sonal Pahwa, Head of Market Activation at Manipal Health Enterprises.

“Most of the patients come from Iraq, Oman, Nigeria, Maldives, Tanzania, Sudan and Yemen. The treatment costs here are way lower than other cities. The cost of treatment here is 15% cheaper than Delhi and 10% cheaper than Mumbai. Then another selling point is the international connectivity, which is far better for patients coming from Africa,” informs Sonal. She  adds that in India, patients tend to save almost 50% to 60% of the amount they would spend on dental fees in other countries.

“Patients come here for dental treatment because they feel that they can save almost 50% of the cost. Also, there seems to be a growing trust in Indian dentists and our expertise has been recognised throughout the world,” says Dr Anuradha Navaneetham, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon and Implantologist, Hosmat Hospital. The doctor  does dental implants, smile correction, fixed dentures and other procedures. “Many of my patients are obsessed with getting a ‘Hollywood smile’.  Some club many problems together and come for treatment,” ended Dr Anuradha.