India’s Medical Tourism Industry Expected to reach USD18 Billion by 2027

Medical Tourism in India​

Medical tourism in India means those patients who travelled to India for medical treatment from other country. It has emerged into a big business segment because India has the best medical facilities, professional manpower coupling low cost factors. Every individual requiring critical care surgeries to those who are looking for enhancement therapies visit India for medical tourism.

Best Hospitals in India for Medical Tourists​

Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon

Medanta – The Medicity is one of the biggest multi-specialty hospitals located at Gurgaon, India which was founded in the year 2009 by Dr. Naresh Trehan, a prestigious cardiac surgeon. It is a large hospital with a total bed capacity of 1250 and occupies a land of 43 acres of land. ​Medical tourism services offered by Medanta hospitals include cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopedic, and organ transplant etc. In this health facility, there is the combination of orthodox and complementary medicine to treat the patient. It also has a strategic location close to New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport; this makes it very appropriate for international patients. Medanta has exclusive medical tourism facility to cater to the medical tourists and assist them in travel arrangements, visa formalities, and translations services so that international patients feel free to avail its medical services.

Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi

Apollo Hospitals, which began in 1996, is one of the biggest tertiary care hospitals in south Asia located in New Delhi, India. As it has more than 700 beds and 52 medical specialties, the hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission International. It has communication services and translation, doctors with international certifications, international facilities, and compassionate care with experienced and skilled doctors. Being in the center of India, it still attracts many medical tourists due to the offered high quality health care services.

Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon

Artemis Hospital is multi-specialty acute care hospital situated in Gurgaon, India that avails the services of cardiovascular, oncology, orthopedics, neurology, and a minimally invasive surgeries. It offers international patient facility, effective infrastructure and being at a close quarter away from Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi at a distance of 20 kilometres. Due to the factors such as quality standard and patient oriented care, its strategic location makes the hospital a choice for medical tourists coming to India.

Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi

Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, a leading cardiac care hospital in New Delhi, India, offers comprehensive cardiac treatments, international patient services, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and a strategic location. It has been established as one of the largest private cardiac hospitals in the Asia-Pacific region to offer proper diagnosis of the disease as well as proper treatment. That strategy has seen it become among the most popular spots for medical tourists in India, given that it focuses on the needs of the patient.

Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon

Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurgaon, India, offers comprehensive medical services and state-of-the-art facilities. They also offer services for international patients, travelling, visa, airport pick up and dropping and interpretation services. FMRI has its presence in Abroad and offers top notch treatments thus attracting medical tourists to get treated in India.

Factors Affecting Cost of Medical Treatment in India

The cost of medical treatment in India varies based on several factors. Here are the key factors affecting treatment costs:

• Type of Treatment & Procedure Complexity
• Hospital Category & Accreditation
• Doctor’s Expertise & Reputation
• Hospital Location
• Hospital Stay & Room Type
• Diagnostic Tests & Investigations
• Pre & Post-Surgery Care
• Medications & Consumables
• Duration of Hospitalization
• Medical Insurance & Payment Method
• International Patient Services
• Currency Exchange Rates

Top Medical Tourism Destinations in India​

Delhi (Delhi-NCR)- The Capital City with World-Class Healthcare Facilities

India with Delhi being one of the cities has been tremendously registering as a medical tourism continent. The city acquires some of the most sophisticated hospitals and healthcare facilities that are well endowed to handle a variety of medical disciplines. Available health care organizations include Medanta – The Medicity, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals and Artemis Hospitals that offer quality medical services to all clients over the world.

Chennai - The Healthcare Hub of South India

Tamil Nadu’s capital city Chennai is considered to be one of the best places in India to avail healthcare services. Some of the known hospitals in the city include Apollo Hospitals, MIOT International and Gleneagles HealthCity, which responds exceptionally well in areas of cardiac surgery, orthopedics, and organ transplantation.

Mumbai - The Financial Capital with High-Quality Medical Care

Another popular medical tourism destination is Mumbai referred to as the financial capital of India. Mumbai also houses several other large tertiary care hospitals that are internationally accredited hospitals such as Apollo, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospitals, Max Healthcare etc. They are well-equipped and capable of providing the best health care services in different fields of practice.

Bangalore - The Silicon Valley of India with Cutting-Edge Healthcare

It is imperative that people don’t just relate Bangalore to technology but medical tourism as well. There are many well-established hospitals and healthcare facilities in the city which are among the best in India such as Manipal Hospitals, Fortis Healthcare and Apollo Hospitals. With reference to the competitiveness map, Bangalore’s healthcare ecosystem is characterised by the adoption of innovative solutions and latest technologies. 

Hyderabad - The City of Pearls with Advanced Medical Facilities

Being known as the City of Pearls, its population have now started considering Hyderabad as a potential medical tourist spot. It has also carved the best medical tourism destination, Apollo Health City, Yashoda Hospitals, and Tx Hospitals etc. Healthcare plays a significant role in Hyderabad’s innovation and technology landscape in recent years.

India Medical Visa Requirements​

The Indian medical visa is issued to the patient if they meet certain requirements such as:

• Passport with validity as consistent with destination country requirements
• Medical data and physician's recommendation for treatment overseas
• Invitation letter from the hospital
• Visa application form and photographs
• Valid Email Address to receive the Indian Medical Visa

Dental Tourism in India​

Dental tourism is a sub-sector of medical tourism that is concerned with international patients’ visiting India for dental treatments at an affordable rate and also availing the opportunity to visit the country. The reasons behind this are that India offers excellent facilities in dental treatments and the services of qualified dentists at far lower costs than the developed countries such as USA, UK, Australia and Canada.

Affordable Surgeries in India​

This is in contrast to the advanced countries where expensive medical processes are used in providing health care to patients. The following are some of the surgeries that are affordable in India:
Cardiac (Heart) Surgeries

• Orthopedic Surgeries
• Cancer Treatments
• Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery
• Neurological Surgeries
• Organ Transplants
• Bariatric (Weight Loss) Surgery
• Eye & ENT Surgeries

India Medical Tourism Packages​

• Translators: Interpreting services to help the international patients. 
• Money Exchange: Services for foreign exchange within premises of organizations. 
• International Patient Lounge: Cozy area that is created to cater for the diplomatic cards seeking medical service.
• Pre-Arrival Support: Assistance with medical visa.
• Hospital Stay: Private and infectious isolation for patients and donors respectively.
• The Programme of Rehabilitation: Clients will be provided with customized exercises/treatment and diets.
• Travel and lodging help: Transportation for patients and their families to local facilities as well as lodging for families of patients.
• Network of Accredited and Experienced Healthcare Professionals
• Case manager assigned to every patient to provide seamless support in and out of the hospital like appointment booking, consultation OPD IPD admissions and discharge
• Local SIM Cards
• Arranging patient’s Local Food