Title: Value propositions – suggested dimensions for medical tourism facilities in India

Authors: Sasmita K. Maurya

Addresses: Genteel School of Business and Economics, 5th Floor, Atharva Feryez Plaza, Pune Satara Road, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract: There has been a growing interest in the medical tourism industry; with many countries setting up healthcare and tourism infrastructure to attract international medical travellers. Price, treatment options, and service quality emerge as three main pillars of the healthcare value proposition for all medical tourism facilities. India is one such country with many private healthcare facilities catering to the international patients. This paper identifies the characteristics shared by four key healthcare facilities, one each from Thailand, India, Singapore, and Philippines with the assumption that the practices of Asian hospitals may be adopted by all medical tourism facilities in India. With the help of brand report card suggested by Keller (2000) and the model of consumer-perceived health services quality (O|Connor and Bowers 1990), the author has identified the dimensions of service offerings associated with medical tourism facilities, presented a corporate brand identity model and suggested the value-proposition dimensions for medical tourism facilities. These will assist the healthcare facilities to build a strong brand and gain better understanding of their strengths.

Keywords: service quality; corporate branding; brand identity; value propositions; India; international travellers; infrastructure; prices; treatment options; private healthcare; international patients; shared characteristics; health facilities; medical tourists; Thailand; Singapore; Philippines; Asia; hospitals; brand report cards; consumer perceptions; behavioural research; healthcare research; medical tourism.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBHR.2010.037080

International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 2010 Vol.2 No.1, pp.59 - 74

Published online: 23 Nov 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article