Medical tourism is not a new concept in Gujarat or India. But experts worldwide are surprised by the way Ahmedabad-based Apex Hospital has completely re-invented this concept.
The entire algorithm of medical tourism has taken a 360-degree shift, with Apex Hospital carving a niche in the sector, not by offering cheap Medicare or betting on precision medicine, AI-powered diagnostics, or some pharmaceutical innovation. In fact, the hospital has changed the medical tourism game in India just by relying on what they are best at: their expertise.
Usually, people from developed or underdeveloped countries choose India as a healthcare destination primarily for the cost factor. This stands in stark contrast to a recent example of medical tourism that happened in Ahmedabad.
Dr Paul Jason Granet, a well-known trauma surgeon in Pennsylvania, had a heart condition that required surgery. Being a famous surgeon with a more-than-comfortable lifestyle, the American surgeon could have chosen any hospital anywhere in America, but he opted for Ahmedabad. Needless to mention that his treatment in America would have been completely free of cost.
His cardiologist in the United States recommended that he get the surgery done in Ahmedabad. The American doctors had never visited India or Ahmedabad. Still trusting their American doctor’s judgement, Dr Jason, his wife Rosemary, and his mother fled to Ahmedabad to be under the care of eminent cardiologist Dr Tejas Patel.
Dr Tejas, who has also been decorated with Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, besides several eminent awards, including the prestigious Dr BC Roy award in medicine, is an internationally acclaimed cardiologist known for his pioneering work in coronary angiography and interventions with the Trans radial technique, which has made coronary interventions safe, accurate, and significantly decreased patient morbidity and mortality. It has reduced the duration of hospital stays from 3-5 days to 24-36 hours.
His experience of over 1,25000 cath lab procedures is the highest of any single operator in India and one of the highest in the world.
In 2018, he pioneered Robotic-Assisted PCI and also performed the world’s first five telerobotic coronary interventions, which have been published in one of the most reputed medical journals, The Lancet, in 2019.
His team at AHI has also performed over 700 robotic-assisted Percutaneous Coronary Interventions, which is the highest worldwide. With over a 99.8% success rate in coronary interventions, including complex lesions like CTO (Chronic Total Occlusion), LMCA interventions, as well as complex Bifurcation lesions, he holds a very high safety record on par with international standards.
No wonder Dr Jason chose Apex Hospital and Dr Tejas for his surgery. Known for his humility and grounded-ness, Dr Tejas says he felt good that Dr Jason trusted his heart with him (Patel).
Being a doctor himself, Dr Jason knew what the worst could happen and what procedures he would undergo. “Once you decide, you should totally trust your doctor,” he remarked.
A mantra that must be followed by all of us.
Dr Tejas says, “I was totally awestruck when Dr Jason took the decision to come here to Apex because he could have gone to any other place in the world—any place in the US or Europe—but he trusted us for his own heart, and that is an extremely heartwarming event for us. I think this is real medical tourism.”
Dr Jason was operated upon by Dr S Bhattacharya and is now recuperating.
Despite such trail-blazing records and achievements, Dr Tejas is very clear that he has absolutely no plans for the expansion of his heart institute. He not only believes in contentment but also feels that he would rather work to ensure super quality in whatever medical care he offers. With over 300 articles and research papers in various journals, Dr Tejas believes that a true doctor delivers.
Dr Jason’s wife, Rosemary, says they chose Apex Heart Care in Ahmedabad because they wanted the most developed medical technique in the world. “I have been to several hospitals at several places. I must add that I have not seen a hospital cleaner than this,” Dr Jason adds.
After undergoing the bypass surgery with endarterectomy at the Apex Heart Institute, Dr Jason is all set to fly back home on March 31. For the unversed, Endarterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove plaque buildup from the lining of an artery, improving the flow of blood by addressing blockages or narrowing. Dr Jason will be taking a follow-up with his cardiologist Dr Samir Panscholi in Pennsylvania.
Dr Aman Patel is another example of patients reposing complete trust in their doctors. Recently, he successfully performed PAMI (Primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction) on a 97-year-old woman. Dr Aman also spoke fondly of how she felt great and “full of life.”
Finally, the experience at Apex has made Dr Jason’s family fascinated by India. They now plan to visit the Everest Base Camp with their five children. It seems an apt choice — just as climbing Everest is the pinnacle of human achievement, Dr Jason’s journey to Apex Heart Institute symbolises the highest trust in medical care.
