Mediating Effects on Services Quality in Medical Tourism in Tamilnadu

Abstract

ix newlineABSTRACT newlineThe promotion of medical tourism identifies medicine and healthcare in line with goods newlineand services and traded in the open market accordingly. Medical tourism has emerged as newlineone of the largest growing economic industries in Tamilnadu. The advantages of medical newlinetourists in taking treatment in Tamilnadu are, the waiting period for taking treatment is newlinealmost negligible, cost of treatment is very less compared to the west, and convalescing newlineperiod is at the will of the patient and not a choice by the hospital. In spite of the newlineadvantages we have at Chennai, the medical tourism industry is facing inadequate newlinemarketing strategy. Taking into account the various research gaps, this study focuses on newlineorganization and management of medical tourism in Tamilnadu. newlineThe conceptual model has ten dimensions. The dependent variables are customer newlinesatisfaction and service quality. The independent variables are medical treatment, hospital newlineambience and security, location of the hospital, hospitality, registry and hospital newlinenetworking, tour and travel facilities, testing facilities, and price and payment. Various newlineliteratures relating to were reviewed, the past research gaps were identified and the newlinevarious models developed by various authors were thoroughly examined. newlineAn analysis of the reflective research formation studies already conducted on service newlinequality showed that there is a significant association between service quality and newlinecustomer satisfaction. Hence healthcare managers attempt to improve the quality of their newlineservices at the level of satisfaction. From the empirical quality researches, the researchers newlinethe MT model includes the measurement of sub dimensions of quality of medical newlinetourism. newlineThe survey was conducted across Tamilnadu. Out of the questionnaire circulated, 400 newlinevoted questionnaire was used for analysis. The sampling procedure to the study was newlinestratified and random sampling. Data analysis, were performed with SPSS using newlinetechniques that included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and analysis of newlinemoment structure for structural equation modeling and Bayesian estimation and testing. newlinex newlineThe findings of the study indicated that the hospitals need not compete against each other newlineon price level, but consistently they must concentrate on their quality standards. The newlinestudy reveals that patients satisfaction is most significant predictor of healthcare sector newlinein medical tourism. SEM enables any organization to attempt sustainability management newlineto the whole of the enterprise where quality parameters play a vital role in marketing. newlineFurther research in the field is suggested that a comprehensive study can be made to newlinecover the entire travel starting from the place of the tourist to the destination of medical newlinetreatment and back home. newline