The Taj Medical Group Limited, a UK-based healthcare facilitator, has successfully assisted over 800 patients from the US and UK in need of immediate medical attention to receive quality treatments in India at close to one-tenth of the cost of procedures in the US. Treatments facilitated by Taj Medical range from preventive care check ups to major surgeries including cardiac by-pass, spinal surgeries, knee and hip replacements, lap band for weight loss and more.

Taj Medical's steady growth and success has sparked the reality for co-founder, Dr. Jagdish K. Jethwa, of the necessity to bring in the guidance of industry leaders in setting regulations and guidelines for health care facilitators (HCFs) and their affiliated hospitals, and physicians. To initiate this regulation Taj Medical has formed The International Healthcare Facilitators Association (TIHFA) and is currently seeking potential board members and advisors.

'We started thinking about forming TIHFA, a not-for-profit, almost one year ago mostly in response to the comments and criticisms from media covering patient stories about medical tourism,- explained Dr. Jethwa.

The comments and criticisms Dr. Jethwa referred to typically raised the following concerns:

• Although, many HCFs do a great job at successfully facilitating patient care overseas, there are currently no established bodies or associations for the control and regulation of HCFs
• What options do patients have upon returning home in case of complications?
• Will there be pre and post operative care available in the package?
• Is there a mediator that may be able to assist in the event of any disputes between hospitals, physicians and patients?

'So, in response to these comments we looked at other organizations that have a support body and we felt the closest one to our needs is ABTA - Association of British Travel Agents,- described Dr. Jethwa.

Similarly, TIHFA is a member organization requiring strict codes of conduct and a financial bond to join. This will give all patients a degree of comfort and peace of mind since it encourages only the serious, more capable businesses to thrive. TIHFA's objective is to minimize risks associated with any medical-related industry and improve and regulate the quality of HCFs. Just one of the groups that are in consideration to become part of the board for TIHFA is Warwick University in the UK.

In addition to TIHFA, Taj Medical's growth in the UK, US and Canada has inspired Dr. Jethwa and a group of his PhD students at Warwick University (with financial support of almost 200k USD from EPSRC - Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council the UK Government's leading funding agency for research and training in engineering and the physical sciences) - to create an online information portal, Mediigate, for patients looking at medical tourism options.

The team is managed and led by Dr Jay Bal, of Warwick University who is an internationally known authority on E-Business development.

The Taj Medical Group's desire is to provide patients with the information they need to make decisions about the options available to them with medical tourism without pressure. With Mediigate potential patients can find the information they need to make the best decision for their individual circumstances and health issues.

For more information on The Taj Medical Group, TIHFA or for patient testimonials please visit www.tajmedical.com

For more information on Mediigate - A 'Self-help- medical treatment portal please visit www.mediigate.com