An artist’s impression of Cochi Medi City.
A group of Qatar-based non-resident Indians yesterday unveiled plans to set up a “medical city” in the port city of Kochi to attract medical travellers.
The Rs13bn Cochi Medi City will be set up in 52 acres of land out of 140 acres they possess and has been designed as an eco-friendly project.
The promoters said the “world-class healthcare centre will become fully operational in three years, generating 7,500 direct and 25,000 indirect jobs.”
“India needs 3.5 beds for 1,000 individuals as per the WHO guideline. But the current ratio is a paltry 0.9,” Cochi Medi City & Tourism chairman Dr Mohan Thomas said.
“There’s also a tremendous potential for health tourism. The project will cater to bridging this huge gap with a modern super-specialty hospital and healthcare system offering care of international standards at an affordable cost.”
Vice-chairman Mathew Francis Kattukaran said the project was designed by RSP Singapore, one of the pioneers in establishing green projects in the world.
“The design maintains the ecology and preserves the water flow without interruption,” he said.
A training centre with modern facilities like a simulation unit to train doctors and complete healthcare teams from India and the rest of Asia is part of the project. It will also have a convention centre for international medical conferences.
“This will make Kochi a prime destination for medical research conferences and tourism,” Thomas said.
Managing director Hassan Kunhi said the medical city would have a 50-bed ayurvedic spa and a research centre to research on the ayurvedic medications and to develop appropriate drugs with the help of internationally benchmarked labs.
The promoters have reached a preliminary understanding with Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic for providing technical support.
“Many of the Indian doctors settled in the West have expressed their willingness to spend a few months in this hospital on training our doctors as a commitment to their motherland,” director of operations Mibu Jose Nettikkadan said.
“We’ll offer tourism facilities for the visiting patients and their relatives with hotel apartments and three and five-star hotels within. Accommodation services for the staff also will be provided here.”
They said they had chosen a backward area to develop the facilities benefiting the local community of Kadamakudy and nearby islands in employment besides supporting services like supply of vegetables, horticulture, fish-farming and laundry.
The group also plans free insurance to retired and aged farmers in the village.
The venture has kicked up a row in the state with a section of politicians and green activists alleging reclamation of wetlands.
But the promoters said they had got local and district monitoring agency permissions with a supporting report from the agricultural officers and the district collector. The company went ahead with the project only after getting adequate support from people and their leaders.
“This will put Kochi on the map of world-class medical tourism,” they said.
