There is a huge waiting list in USA and UK for treatment, particularly in surgical procedures. With the facilities available here, foreign patients will be able to get themselves treated at a much earlier date and at cheaper rates," Purakayastha added.

The hospital has started making accommodation and conveyance arrangements for foreign patients. Every need of the patient, right from the moment they step out of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport, will be the hospital's responsibility.

Habitat Health will be sending ahead the names of patients interested in getting treated in Kolkata. The 365-bed AMRI hospital, spread over two buildings, has radiotherapy, cardiology, orthopaedics, trauma care, neurology, nephrology and urology in the super-specialty procedures. Officials of the US firm had inspected the AMRI facilities last month and also verified the infection control measures.

Habitat Health studied the report for two weeks before agreeing to sign the MoU. The only point of contention was the issue of settling insurance claims. While the US company wanted insurance rules framed in the United States to be applicable here, the AMRI authorities insisted on Indian regulations. "They agreed to our terms. Otherwise it would have been very difficult for us to settle the claims," said Purakayastha.