New Delhi, Oct. 11: Noor Fatima, the two-year-old Pakistani girl, had to hop across the Wagah border to get operated for a congenital heart ailment.

If all goes according to plan, Pakistani patients seeking medical help across the border may now have an easier option.

Delhi-based Max Healthcare is working on setting up a facilitation centre in Lahore offering a whole range of services, including “easy and safe transfer” of patients to India.

A senior company official said the centre, which is likely to be set up in association with a local hospital in Pakistan, will offer a broad range of services.

These include initial screening and diagnosis, telemedicine, evaluation and recommendation, international insurance cover and arrangements for travel to Delhi.

“The arrangements in- clude visa, ticketing, pick-up and all local arrangements for food, travel and stay for families and attendants,” the official said.

The company has already set up a similar facility in Bangladesh in association with Granville Healthcare Ltd of Dhaka. “The response has been pretty good with 15 to 20 patients coming over to India on an average for treatment,” the official said.

Besides Pakistan, the international programme of the healthcare company involves setting up facilities in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Qatar, Oman, and Tanzania. “Similar centres in Singapore, the UK and the US will follow,” the official said.

No details on the level of investment were, however, available.

The company collaborates with the Singapore General Hospital for clinical practice, research and training.

Max Healthcare is a subsidiary of the Analjit Singh-promoted Max India Limited, a multi-business corporate house with interests in medical services, telecom, insurance and plastic products.

Health sector experts believe that Indian medical service providers have the potential to tap a major chunk of the West and South Asian markets.

Patients from West Asia always preferred the US or the UK for their treatment. But with stricter visa norms in those countries, these patients are mainly going to places such as Singapore and Bangkok.

Experts said India has an edge over these countries, both in terms of logistics and cost competitiveness.

Globally, the healthcare industry is estimated to be in excess of $3 trillion.

In India, the industry is projected to reach a staggering size of Rs 2,70,000 crore by 2012 ? up from about Rs 100,000 crore presently.