Tag Archives: Medical Tourism

MoCA must focus on better air connectivity to promote medical tourism in tier II, III Indian cities

Speaking during the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s Round Table Discussion, Subhash Goyal, Chairman, ICC Tourism Committee, said, “As Tier I cities are already well connected through aviation, India needs to promote other domestic hubs like spiritual circuits, wildlife parks, islands, and the locations that are famous for Medical Tourism, which is a 5 trillion-dollar industry. Hence, the Aviation Ministry needs to develop these routes for better connectivity and access as it can boost the inbound numbers in India.”

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Medical tourism surges in India, Health Ministry announces USD $14.8 billion loans for infra boost

Medical tourists to India has increased, rising from 1.83 lakh in 2020 to 5.04 lakh in 2023 (till October). Union Minister for Culture, Tourism, and DoNER, G. Kishan Reddy, stated that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has announced loans totalling $14.8 billion to enhance infrastructure.

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India emerges as leading medical tourism destination with 1.4 million visitors in past year: Shripad Naik

Highlighting India’s progress in promoting health and wellness tourism, state tourism minister, Shripad Naik noted that the country witnessed more than 1.4 million medical tourists in the past one year, making it one of the top destinations for medical tourism. He also urged delegates to collectively contribute to a more holistic and sustainable approach to global health and appealed that they engage in meaningful discussion on various aspects of the global health architecture. 

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Northeast India holds immense potential to attract Southeast Asians for medical tourism

SS Dev Barman, Regional Director, Indiatourism North East, has said that the region provides an immense opportunity for medical tourism which can attract tourists from Southeast Asian countries. Besides this, he adds, the Northeast is endowed with diverse tourist attractions, biodiversity, wildlife and prominent archaeological sites, and each state has its own distinct features.

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45% growth in medical tourism to India

According to data provided by Ministry of Home Affairs, the number of medical visas issued by India in 2016 rose by 45 per cent over 2015. India issued more than 1.78 lakh medical visas in 2016, including for follow up treatment, as against 1.22 lakh in 2015, according to the data. A Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report titled “India Services Sector—A Multi-trillion Dollar Opportunity for Global Symbiotic Growth 2017” stated that the presence of world-class hospitals and skilled medical professionals has strengthened India’s position as a preferred destination for medical tourism. Treatment for major surgeries in India costs only a fraction—in some cases as low as 10 per cent of that in developed countries. “Majority of the patients coming to India for treatment are from the Middle East, Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. India’s cost advantage will significantly open doors to the US and Europe over future, due to lower cost than the US and almost half that of Europe.” Dental tourism accounts for 10 per cent of the medical tourism and the government is keen to promote it. “India provides competitive cost advantage at one tenth of the cost of the US and Europe. By 2020, medical tourism industry of India is expected to touch $8 billion,” the report said. Source: Livemint

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Wellness & yoga tourism guidelines to be released on June 21

Guidelines for wellness and yoga tourism in India will be released on June 21 on the occasion of International Yoga Day while the policy for medical tourism in India will be announced in three to four weeks subsequently, informed Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Tourism and Culture, Government of India. This was announced during the third meeting of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board (NMWTPB) where members of the board discussed ways to improve the structure of the policy and make it more comprehensive. Sharma said, “Medical and wellness tourism plays a major role in overall growth of tourism. India offers some very intricate treatments at one sixth the cost in comparison to many countries; have the best professionals and the most acclaimed paramedical staff. To harness the potential of this segment, we are going to divide the segment in two phases. On June 21 we will release the guidelines for wellness centers, spas and yoga centers for tourism purposes. We have asked the members of the Board for suggestions to prepare a draft Medical Tourism Policy, which will be then reviewed and later released in a matter of three to four weeks. We are also working on a dynamic, interactive web portal which will be one stop shop for medical value travel needs. The purpose is to standardise the rates of various services, provide a list of medical tourism providers and offer a single window system to medical and wellness tourism in a transparent manner.” Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, added that generally medical and wellness tourism are seen as separate entities but the NMWTPB is a landmark committee where …

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Business & medical e-visa now available for application

With effect from April 1, 2017, the e-visa facility for business and medical tourism is finally open for application. While the e-tourist visa facility was the first one to be launched, the central government further added the e-business and e-medical visa in an effort to propagate ease of visa facilitation. Furthermore, the facility has been extended to the nationals of 161 countries for entry through 24 airports and three Indian Ports while the window for application under e-visa scheme has been increased from 30 days to 120 days. Duration of stay on e-visa has also been increased from 30 days to 60 days with double entry on e-Tourist and e-Business visa and triple entry on e-Medical visa. Additionally, separate immigration counters and facilitation desks to assist medical tourist have been provided at six major Indian airports. A new category of Visa, Film (F) Visa, has also been introduced with maximum duration of one year with multiple entry facility.

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