IF MEDICAL tourism has put India on the world map, can Ahmedabad be far behind? Given the influx of foreign nationals seeking treatment for various ailments, the city has witnessed an increase in such patients. And a recent trend that has picked up among them is cosmetic surgery.

So when Lona, an 18-year-old British girl decided to get her bi-lateral breast augmentation (enlargement) surgery done at a private hospital in Ahmedabad, it wasn?t done in a haste but was a conscious decision triggered by a thorough study. Lona wanted a body that can make her feel more confident while performing on the stage.

Her father Andrew (46), a self-employed instrumentation engineer wanted extra fat removed from his chest and lower abdomen so that he could wear T-shirts. Both daughter-father chose the city after they watched a documentary on Indian Healthcare System on the BBC where they got first-hand information on Indian hospitals. So while the father underwent a liposuction of his chest and lower abdomen, the daughter got the desired shape and size of her breasts. Doctors removed nearly 2,000 ml of fat from his abdomen and chest. But what is drawing these foreign nationals to the Indian shores?

This could be due to various reasons, say doctors in Ahmedabad. First, no foreign or Indian insurance company covers cosmetic surgeries ? one has to pay from one?s own pocket.

Second, there is an increased awareness about Indian hospitals providing international-class infrastructure. Third and most importantly, the cost involved in the treatment here is almost 40 per cent less than what they have to incur in their own country.

??Had I got the same surgery done in the UK, I would have ended up paying 6 to 8 thousand pounds while here the same treatment cost around 2 to 2.5 thousand pounds,?? said Andrew, who got the surgery done at KRISHNA Heart Institute in Bopal, Ahmedabad.

Dr Hemant Saraiya, who performed the surgery, said: ??Earlier, people from the UK and the US used to go to Mexico and Latin American countries for the treatment but similar treatment at a lower price is now attracting them to India.??