Non Resident Indians see bright prospects in Capital Amaravati

Vijayawada: Mokkapati Chandra, a non-resident Indian (NRI) investing in Amaravati Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), visualises exciting opportunities in medical tourism in Amaravati. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will lay a foundation stone for the AIMS in a sprawling 20 acre land on the banks of the Krishna river near Ibrahimpatnam on Thursday.

Talking to reporters, here on Tuesday, Amaravati by virtue of having good road, rail and air connectivity, has all the potential to turn into a hub for medical tourism. “The medical tourism is an $80bn business and the share of India accounted for just two per cent. Chennai takes a lion’s share of medical tourism business,” Chandra explained.

Around 20 NRIs are investing Rs 600 crore to build a 700-bed multi-specialty teaching-cum hospital in three phases. “AP has got a raw deal from the healthcare point of view after the bifurcation. As a concerned group of NRIs, we want to do our bit to make off this injustice to some extent”, said Dr G Navaneetha Krishna, chairman of the AIMS.

“People from Andhra region are still going to Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad for treatment for want of specialty services locally. Hyderabad continued to be the centre of corporate health services.

The AIMS aimed to fill this void to some extent by ensuring all kinds of services right from heart transplantation through a single window,” said Navaneetha Krishna, a cardiologist. He said they are planning to complete the first phase of the AIMS by 2019