MANY of the state owned and operated hospitals in the Caribbean are in poor condition.

Notwithstanding competent doctors and nurses, the physical condition of many of the hospitals is bad and their equipment and technology are inadequate.

Against this background, it may seem odd that I am suggesting in this commentary that Caribbean governments, financial institutions and tourist resorts should invest in health tourism.

Nonetheless, I do suggest it as a chance not only to add a lucrative string to the bow of Caribbean tourism, but also as an opportunity to provide local people with better hospitals and improved health care for a wide range of illnesses.

A huge market is rapidly developing in the United States, Canada and Europe of people who are going abroad to seek urgent medical attention, cosmetic surgery and rehabilitation in salubrious climes.

And, there is a massive drive by several developing countries to corner a significant portion of this growing industry.

During this month alone there are two events at which alliances will be built to take advantage of the opportunities that health tourism is opening.

The Department of Tourism in Kerala, a state in the south of India, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising a show and an international conference on health tourism which will be attended by prominent medical tourism hospitals, medical insurance companies and the travel trade.

The state minister for tourism Kodiveri Balakrishnan said: "As a state, Kerala is leading in the area of medical tourism… We are planning to announce a Medical Tourism Policy during the inaugural session” of the show.

Then, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation is sponsoring a World Health Tourism Congress, targeting Corporate Buyers in the HealthCare Tourism Industry, Medical and Wellbeing tourism, Ministries of Health, Corporations and Travel Agencies

There is good reason for this keen interest in medical tourism.

Some countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, which operate public health-care systems, are so overburdened that it can take a year or more to get needed medical treatment, including surgery for hip replacements. In some cases, even surgery for heart conditions can take months to schedule.

Consequently, people are opting to go abroad to places like India and Singapore to be treated immediately in private hospitals.

The cost of treatment in private hospitals in North America and Europe is much higher than it is in developing countries that have dedicated resources to medical tourism.

A study conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and McKinsey consultants estimated "medical tourism" could be worth over US$2 billion by 2012. The study revealed that last year over 150,000 foreigners visited India alone for treatment, with the number rising by 15% a year.

A similar number of Americans, dissatisfied with the escalating costs of health care, sought surgery abroad in 2006 and the number is growing.

This is a reality recognised by U.S. health insurance companies who see a benefit to their profits by offering their subscribers treatment at, for instance, Bumrungrad hospital in Thailand, if their policies do not cover the costs of U.S. hospitals for procedures they need.

Increasingly, more private insurance providers will be doing the same.

The Middle East is also a growing market for medical tourism.

Many wealthy Arabs, who used to travel to Britain and the United States for medical treatment, have discovered that they can receive as good medical attention in better climates and at better prices in India, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia – all of whom are hustling to develop the market still further.

And, the private hospitals in these developing countries have extremely healthy bank accounts. For instance, Mr. Chai Sophonpanich, the Chairman of the Thai hospital, Bumrungrad, which is a publicly traded company, reported at the end of 2005 that the hospital served more than a million patients from over 190 countries paying an impressive dividend to its shareholders.

Both at home and in the Diaspora, the Caribbean has highly trained and skilled doctors ranging from general practitioners to surgeons and specialists. Caribbean nurses are also poached every day for work in the UK, the U.S. and Canada.

Undoubtedly, they can provide as good a service and perhaps better to the growing market for medical tourism. It would keep their talent at home, and bring home many of them. And, while they serve a lucrative foreign market at home, they could also give their skills to the local population whose costs could be subsidised by the foreign clientele.

But, such a development will require precisely what the state of Kerala is about to announce: a medical tourism policy by governments that includes incentives for private companies to invest in modern, well-equipped, well-paying hospitals and a strong marketing effort to promote the Caribbean as a health tourism destination.

It will also need visionary companies and financial backers who recognise the opportunity that medical tourism presents and seize the moment to invest in it.