The Indian Healthcare Sector is growing at around 20% a year, according to rating agencies.
Some of the major factors for this consistent growth are:
- Population explosion
- Modern lifestyle
- Affordable cost of treatment
- Boom in medical tourism
- Health insurance penetration
- Government initiatives
Medical tourism in India is expanding with arrival of patients from countries with less advanced medical system. This underlines the fact that India has sound infrastructure and highly skilled medical professionals. Various types of hospitals exist in India today:
- Government run Hospitals
- Private Hospitals
- Trust & Charitable Hospitals
- Corporate Hospitals
- Private Public Partnership Hospitals
A new hospital in India must offer all forms of healthcare delivery to survive competition, justify cost of investment and recover investment in the first few years. Successful online branding of a new hospital in India calls for proper infrastructure include beds, special wards, sophisticated testing equipments, highly qualified and experiences specialist doctors, insurance coordinators, trained paramedical staff, pharmacy, patient counseling, diagnostic laboratories, operation theaters etc.
The new hospital must acquire the best of infrastructure including latest machines and skilled operators and maintenance staff. The new hospital must clearly spell out its mission and vision and aspiration targets to help create online branding.
For ensuring online branding of a new hospital, a lot of constructive support is needed from all healthcare providers as also patient welfare organizers. In fact, the hospital must hire a medical tourism promotion team to lure patients from less advanced countries.
The hospital must use print and digital media advertising and more importantly social media marketing including setting up of alluring websites, SEO, creating blogs etc.
The hospital must organize periodic conferences and conduct seminars and panel discussions inviting celebrity medical professionals from across the globe. The hospital must organize community outreach programs and conduct health camps.
Selection of Consultants is an area which is crucial to the new hospital’s online brand success. There should be a mix of experienced and fresh talents.
The hospital must bestow adequate attention to patient care. The behavior of Consultants and medical staff towards the patients is of utmost importance. If the hospital’s online branding efforts are to succeed, there should be a lot of positive reviews from patients.