The Indian healthcare sector has been growing at a frenetic pace in the past few years. The windfall began ever since the developed world discovered that it could get quality service for less than half the price.

The sector is expected to post the highest year-on-year growth in earnings in the fiscal year to March 31, 2007, says Reuters. It is set to post a 42 per cent rise in earnings in the year to March 2007. These figures are driven by availability of quality healthcare and the huge rise in numbers visiting India for treatment.

The number of patients visiting India for medical treatment has risen from 10,000 in 2000 to about 100,000 in 2005. With an annual growth rate of 30 per cent, India is already inching closer to Singapore, an established medicare hub that attracts 150,000 medical tourists a year.

The healthcare industry employs over four million people, making it one of the largest service sectors in the economy. A joint study by the Confederation of Indian Industry and McKinsey shows: ·

• At the current pace of growth, medical tourism, currently pegged at US$ 350 million, has the potential to grow into a US$ 2 billion industry by 2012.
• Healthcare spending in the country will double over the next 10 years. Private healthcare will form a large chunk of this spending, rising from Rs 690 billion (US$ 14.8 billion) to Rs 1,560 billion (US$ 33.6 billion) in 2012. This figure could rise by an additional Rs 390 billion (US$ 8.4 billion) if health insurance cover is available to the rich and the middle class.
• The voluntary health insurance market, which is estimated at Rs 4 billion (US$ 86.3 million) currently, is growing fast. Industry estimates put the figure at Rs 130 billion (US$ 2.8 billion) by 2005. ·
• With the expected increase in the pharmaceutical market, the total healthcare market could rise from Rs 1,030 billion (US$ 22.2 billion) currently (5.2 per cent of GDP) to Rs 2,320 billion (US$ 50 billion)-Rs 3,200 billion (US$ 69 billion) (6.2-8.5 per cent of GDP) by 2012.

However, it is not only the cost advantage that keeps the sector ticking. It has a high success rate and a growing credibility.

• Indian specialists have performed over 500,000 major surgeries and over a million other surgical procedures including cardio-thoracic, neurological and cancer surgeries, with success rates at par with international standards.
• The success rate in the 43,000 cardiac surgeries till 2002 was 98.5 per cent.
• India's success in 110 bone marrow transplants is 80 per cent.
• The success rate in 6,000 renal transplants is 95 per cent.

Ratings

• India's independent credit rating agency CRISIL has assigned a grade A rating to super speciality hospitals like Escorts and multi speciality hospitals like Apollo.
• NHS of the UK has indicated that India is a favoured destination for surgeries. The British Standards Institute has now accredited the Delhi-based Escorts Hospital.
• Apollo Group - India's largest private hospital chain and Wockhardt Hospital are now JCI accredited

Capital - New Delhi
28°34'N 77°12'E
Largest city- Mumbai (Bombay) also known as financial capital of India
Official language(s)- Hindi, English, and 21 other languages

Area - Total 3,287,590 km² (7th largest in the world)
Water (%) 9.56

Population
2006 est. - 1,095,351,995 (2nd largest in the world)
Population Density - 329/km²

GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
Total $3.633 trillion (4th highest in the world)
Per capita $3344
Currency - Rupee (INR)

Time zone
Summer (DST) IST (UTC+5:30)
not observed (UTC+5:30)
Internet TLD - .in
Calling code +91

Geography

The territory of India constitutes a major portion of the Indian subcontinent, situated on the Indian Plate, the northerly portion of the Indo-Australian Plate, in southern Asia. India's northern and northeastern states are partially situated in the Himalayan Mountain Range. The rest of northern, central and eastern India consists of the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain. In the west, bordering southeast Pakistan, lies the Thar Desert. The southern Indian Peninsula is almost entirely composed of the Deccan plateau, which is flanked by two hilly coastal ranges, the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats.

India is home to several major rivers, including the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna, Godavari, Kaveri, Narmada, and Krishna. India has three archipelagos - Lakshadweep off the southwest coast, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands volcanic island chain to the southeast, and the Sunderbans in the Gangetic delta in West Bengal.

Climate in India varies from tropical in the south to more temperate in the Himalayan north, with elevated regions in the north receiving sustained snowfall in winters. India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert. The Himalayas, along with the Hindu Kush mountains in Pakistan, provide a barrier to the cold winds from Central Asia. This keeps most of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations in similar latitudes. The Thar Desert is responsible for attracting the moisture laden southwest monsoon winds in that provide most of India's rainfall between June to September.

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The economy of India is the fourth largest in the world as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP), with a GDP of US $3.63 trillion. However when it comes to PPP-GDP per capita figures-India's economy is ranked 152nd in the world. When measured in USD exchange-rate terms, it is the twelfth largest in the world, with a GDP of US $775 billion (2005). India is the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 8.1% at the end of the first quarter of 2006. However, India's huge population results in a relatively low per capita income of $3,400 at PPP and is classified as a developing nation.

For most of its independent history India has adhered to a socialist-inspired approach, with strict government control over private sector participation, foreign trade, and foreign direct investment. Since the early 1990s, India has gradually opened up its markets through economic reforms by reducing government controls on foreign trade and investment. Privatisation of public-owned industries and opening up of certain sectors to private and foreign players has proceeded slowly amid political debate.

India has a labour force of 496.4 million of which agriculture constitutes 60%, industry 17%, and services 23%. India's agricultural produce include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry and fish. Major industries include textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum and machinery.

In recent times, India has also capitalised on its large number of educated population who are fluent in the English language to become an important location for global companies outsourcing customer service and technical support call centers. It is also a major exporter of software, financial, research and technology services. India's most important trading partners are the United States, the European Union, Japan, China, and the United Arab Emirates.

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An overview : The people of India have had a continuous civilization since 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River valley developed an urban culture based on commerce and sustained by agricultural trade. This civilization declined around 1500 B.C., probably due to ecological changes. During the second millennium B.C., pastoral, Aryan-speaking tribes migrated from the northwest into the subcontinent. As they settled in the middle Ganges River valley, they adapted to antecedent cultures.

The political map of ancient and medieval India was made up of myriad kingdoms with fluctuating boundaries. In the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., northern India was unified under the Gupta Dynasty. During this period, known as India's Golden Age, Hindu culture and political administration reached new heights.

Islam spread across the Indian subcontinent over a period of 500 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established sultanates in Delhi. In the early 16th century, descendants of Genghis Khan swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal (Mogul) Dynasty, which lasted for 200 years. From the 11th to the 15th centuries, southern India was dominated by Hindu Chola and Vijayanagar Dynasties. During this time, the two systems--the prevailing Hindu and Muslim--mingled, leaving lasting cultural influences on each other.

The first British outpost in South Asia was established in 1619 at Surat on the northwestern coast. Later in the century, the East India Company opened permanent trading stations at Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, each under the protection of native rulers. The British expanded their influence from these footholds until, by the 1850s, they controlled most of present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In 1857, a rebellion in north India led by mutinous Indian soldiers caused the British Parliament to transfer all political power from the East India Company to the Crown. Great Britain began administering most of India directly while controlling the rest through treaties with local rulers.

In the late 1800s, the first steps were taken toward self-government in British India with the appointment of Indian councilors to advise the British viceroy and the establishment of provincial councils with Indian members; the British subsequently widened participation in legislative councils. Beginning in 1920, Indian leader Mohandas K. Gandhi transformed the Indian National Congress political party into a mass movement to campaign against British colonial rule. The party used both parliamentary and nonviolent resistance and non-cooperation to achieve independence.

On August 15, 1947, India became a dominion within the Commonwealth, with Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister. Enmity between Hindus and Muslims led the British to partition British India, creating East and West Pakistan, where there were Muslim majorities. India became a republic within the Commonwealth after promulgating its constitution on January 26, 1950.

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The Culture of India is one of the oldest in the world . India has managed to preserve its established traditions throughout history whilst absorbing customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants. Many cultural practices, languages, customs and monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries. In modern India, there is remarkable cultural diversity throughout the country. The South, North, and North-East have their own distinct cultures and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. In spite of the diversity, it's bound by a common thread as one civilization perhaps because of its common history. In addition, Indian culture has had considerable external influence and overlapping from Persian, Turkish, and European cultures. In turn, Indian culture and religions had great impact on its immediate neighbours, South East Asia and beyond. Indian influences are still very strong in Thai, Malay, Singaporean, Indonesian, Laotian, Khmer, Burmese, Tibetan, Mongolian cultures and many more. India has been the birth place of many major religious systems such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Ayyavazhi, Buddhism and Jainism, that are strong and influential not only in India but across the world.

India has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has managed to preserve its established traditions throughout history whilst absorbing customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants. Many cultural practices, languages, customs and monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries. Famous monuments, such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Islamic-inspired architecture have been inherited from the Mughal dynasty. These are the result of a syncretic tradition that combined elements from all parts of the country.

Indian music is represented in a wide variety of forms. The two main forms of classical music are Carnatic from South India, and Hindustani from North India. Popular forms of music also prevail, the most notable being Filmi music. In addition to this are the diverse traditions of folk music from different parts of the country. Many classical dance forms exist, including the Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kathak and Manipuri. They often have a narrative form and are usually infused with devotional and spiritual elements. The earliest literary traditions in India were mostly oral, and were later transcribed. Most of these are represented by sacred works like the Vedas and the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Sangam literature from Tamil Nadu represents some of India's oldest traditions. There have been many notable modern Indian writers, both in Indian languages and in English. India's only Nobel laureate in literature was the Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore. India produces the world's largest number of films every year. The most recognisable face is that of cinema production based in Mumbai, which produces mainly commercial Hindi films, often referred to as "Bollywood". There are also strong cinema industries based on the Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali languages.

Religious practices of various faiths are an integral part of everyday life in society. Religion in India is a very public affair, with many practices imbued with pomp and vitality accompanying their underlying spiritual qualities.

The cuisine of India is extremely diverse, as ingredients, spices and cooking methods vary from region to region. Rice and wheat are the staple foods in the country. The country is notable for its wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine. Spicy food and sweets are popular in India. Traditional dress in India greatly varies across the regions in its colours and styles, and depend on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include the traditional sari for women and the traditional dhoti for men.

India's national sport is field hockey, although cricket is now the de facto national game. In some states, particularly in the northeast, football (soccer) is the most popular sport and is widely watched. In recent times, tennis has gained popularity in India. Chess is also gaining popularity with the rise of number of grandmasters. The most commonly held view is that chess originated in India. Traditional indigenous sports include kabaddi and gilli-danda, which are played in most parts of the country.