http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1718616,00020020.htm
Goa to launch website to attract funds from non-residents Press Trust of India Panaji, June 12, 2006: Goa is planning to use the Internet to showcase investment opportunities in the state to attract funds from non-resident Goans (NRGs). "A website on the lines of Punjab, would be launched within a month by the State NRI Commissionerate, to provide information and opportunity to NRGs" for investment in the state, Development Commissioner JK Dadoo said. "There are a large number of people, who want to help their village. This website will help them to invest here", he said. NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro is personally persuing the file, Dadoo said. "There is a tremendous opportunity for NRGs to come together and contribute towards the state's development", he said. * * * * * http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/display.var.791094.0.go_to_goa_and_get_healthy.php 'Go to Goa and get healthy By Jonathan Walton Jan Bostock # Jan Bostock Everything from a bargain tummy tuck to cut-price heart surgery is being offered in a bid to tempt health tourists to India. Patients aiming to dodge waiting lists and get cheaper private operations can head to Goa - thanks to a deal between a Bradford business and a hospital in the Indian Ocean resort. Going to Goa is offering all-inclusive' packages including flights, luxury lodgings and surgery. Director Jan Bostock said clients stood to save thousands of pounds on procedures ranging from a hair transplant to a heart bypass operation. continued... He said: "We set this business up because we felt people were being short-changed. I had dental work recently and couldn't believe the high cost. "There can be queues for surgery. Our service shows that these procedures should not cost the earth." Shipley-based Mr Bostock said a private heart bypass operation costing more than £15,000 in the UK could be had for £5,000 at the partner Victor Apollo Hospital. Flights and accommodation cost about an extra £1,000 for a three-week stay. He said: "We are facilitators. We do not give medical advice, but our service helps people get all the facts before they decide to go ahead." Mr Bostock said clients are able to speak to the surgeon by phone or communicate by e-mail before going ahead. The company is also aiming to set up video-conferencing. He said: "The doctors' credentials are available for the client and in turn the medical notes for the patient are sent to the team in Goa. "We make sure we get all the questions answered and all the checks possible in place right from the start. "We have to make sure our clients are 100 per cent confident about the procedure. "The hospital is comparable with a British hospital, if not better. Standards of hygiene are incredibly high. There has not been a single record of MRSA." The company's brochure promises "first class medical facilities and first class after care treatment" as well as a "home counselling" service. But Telegraph & Argus columnist Dr Tom Smith warned potential patients to demand facts before committing to a procedure. He said: "There are so many questions. Is the blood transfusion system safe? Does it screen for things like hepatitis? What are the safeguards against deep vein thrombosis? How good is the nursing care? Is there evidence of MRSA? "I would want to know a great deal about the surgeons. In the UK you can find out a surgeon's success rate in his previous 1,000 operations. How are the post-operative morbidity rates? "People must always be careful to weigh up the risks and the benefits of going abroad for health care." A spokesman for Bradford and Airedale PCTs said people choosing private treatment in India did so at their own risk as there is no guarantee of the standard of care. He said: "We would strongly recommend that anyone considering this first takes advice from their GP or other health professional. "The need for this service is also debatable as NHS waiting lists continue to fall and patients are getting faster treatment than ever before for many conditions. "And anyone who was regarded as an urgent case would be treated even sooner, free of charge." e-mail: jonathan.walton @bradford.newsquest.co.uk A PATIENT'S STORY: 'SPLENDID JOB' George Marshall travelled to Bangalore in India for a double heart bypass operation in 2005. He said he had no regrets about having his operation abroad. The violin repairer, pictured, 74, had felt time was running out as he waited for NHS treatment. He said: "I'm definitely glad I did it. They did a splendid job and I speak very highly of the staff and the hospital. "I'm not sure how happy my GP was about it, but he did say paying for these things wasn't easy." Mr Marshall, of Ilkley, spent £4,800, including flights and medical fees on his treatment. It was a saving of £14,000 on the potential bill for a private operation in this country.
