While the public healthcare system in Gurgaon is yet to match with the rapid pace of urbanization, many blue chip firms of the healthcare sector are setting up facilities here to cash in on the thriving business prospects.
According to industry experts, the Millennium City, which houses hundreds of business process outsourcing (BPO) units and offices of IT firms, is now emerging as a world-class medical hub and it has become one of the preferred locations for medical professionals due to its proximity with the national capital.
In the recent past, many leading doctors of the country have shifted to Gurgaon to work in hospitals in the city. According to them, the city offers adequate infrastructure and ample opportunities for business expansion.
Dr Muffazal Lakdawala of Mumbai-based Lilavati Hospital and Research Center, who has just started visiting Gurgaon's Fortis Memorial Research Institute, says, "Gurgaon's clientele is perfect for my profession. This place is cool and happening."
Many private hospitals claim their services are at par with the international standards to meet the demands of those who want the best quality and are ready to pay for it.
"Definitely there is brilliant hardware here but the brilliant minds to execute this hardware too are present here," said Dr Ashok Vaid, chairperson of department of oncology and haematology at Medanta Cancer Institute.
{{/usCountry}}"Definitely there is brilliant hardware here but the brilliant minds to execute this hardware too are present here," said Dr Ashok Vaid, chairperson of department of oncology and haematology at Medanta Cancer Institute.
{{/usCountry}}Experts believe that unlike other metropolitan cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, Gurgaon offers spacious housing for the doctors who want to live close to their workplace. "This is one factor that Mumbai and Delhi lacks," said Dr Naresh Trehan, chairperson managing director and chief cardiac surgeon at Medanta - The Medicity.
Besides, the city is home to young professionals from across the country. Many retired professionals also live here.
"There is a high level of awareness and consciousness about health here," said Dr P Venugopal, chief cardiac surgeon at Alchemist Hospital.
According to Dr Kalyan Sachdev, medical director and founder of Privat Hospital, MG Road, healthcare has turned into a health industry.
"Hospitals have become big business houses. Why wouldn't a celebrated doctor join a world-class hospital, if he is offered a handsome pay? The doctors are coming here because of money."
Many professionals hope the city will soon become a healthcare hub. "The city's infrastructural glitches will be erased soon as the demand is increasing and hospitals will soon run out of capacity," said Dr Devlina Chakravarty, chief operating officer, Artemis Health Sciences.