{"id":72932,"date":"2026-05-04T18:25:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=72932"},"modified":"2026-05-04T18:26:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:56:25","slug":"medical-tourism-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-05-2026\/medical-tourism-india","title":{"rendered":"Medical and Wellness Tourism in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Health, GS3\/ Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is steadily emerging as a major global destination for medical tourism, with the country\u2019s medical value travel (MVT) market projected to grow from an estimated<strong> $8.7 billion in 2025<\/strong> to nearly <strong>$16.2 billion by 2030.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Medical Tourism?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Medical tourism refers to the <strong>practice of traveling<\/strong> to another country or region for medical treatment, procedures, or health-related services.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It involves both <strong>curative care (surgeries, specialised treatments)<\/strong> and, in some cases, <strong>preventive or diagnostic services.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reasons:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Individuals seek medical care in countries where the quality of treatment is high, but the costs are significantly lower than in their home country.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Travel for specialized treatments not available locally or for services that have long wait times.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Trends in Medical Value Travel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The global Medical Value Travel<\/strong> market was valued at about <strong>USD 115.6 billion<\/strong> in 2022. It is projected to reach around <strong>USD 286.1 billion by 2030.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The market is growing at a compound annual growth rate (<strong>CAGR<\/strong>) of about <strong>10.8%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the <strong>Medical Tourism Index 2020\u201321, India ranks:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>10th<\/strong> among the top 46 medical tourism destinations globally<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>12th<\/strong> among the world\u2019s top 20 wellness tourism markets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>5th<\/strong> among the top 10 wellness destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As per the <strong>Ministry of Tourism<\/strong> estimates, <strong>507,244 foreign nationals<\/strong> visited India in 2025 specifically for medical treatment.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It shows that <strong>medical tourism <\/strong>constitutes approximately <strong>5.5%<\/strong> of total <strong>Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Leading Markets: Bangladesh <\/strong>followed by<strong> Iraq, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Oman, and Kenya.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Popular destinations <\/strong>for medical tourism in India include cities like <strong>Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Patients primarily travel to India for specialised treatments such as: <strong>Cardiac surgery, Orthopaedic procedures, Cancer treatment, Organ transplants, AYUSH-based wellness therapies <\/strong>etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"0e59af\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"616\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-23.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-72933\" style=\"--dominant-color: #0e59af; width:445px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-23.png 616w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-23-300x215.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 616px) 100vw, 616px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Factors Responsible for the Growth of Medical Tourism in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cost-Effective Treatment: <\/strong>India offers medical procedures at a fraction of the cost compared to countries like the US or Europe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High-Quality Healthcare:<\/strong> India has a well-established healthcare infrastructure with internationally accredited hospitals and skilled medical professionals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d4d3d9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"249\" height=\"373\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-72934\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d4d3d9; width:215px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2.webp 249w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2-200x300.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has<strong> 69,364 hospitals<\/strong> (43,486 private hospitals, and 25,778 public hospitals) with <strong>1.2 million registered doctors.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Availability of Advanced Medical Technology: <\/strong>Indian hospitals are equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology and cutting-edge treatments, particularly in fields like cardiology, oncology, and orthopedics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shorter Wait Times: <\/strong>Medical tourists can access timely treatment, often avoiding long wait times common in some Western healthcare systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Government Support\u00a0 and Policies:<\/strong> The Indian government has implemented policies that encourage medical tourism, including medical visa facilitation and promoting the sector internationally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening AYUSH-led Medical Value Travel: <\/strong>India possesses a unique advantage in wellness tourism through its centuries-old traditional systems of medicine collectively known as AYUSH \u2014 <strong>Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Strengthen Medical Tourism<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Medical &amp; Wellness Tourism Promotion Board (NMWTB):<\/strong> Constituted by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015, chaired by the Union Minister for Tourism. It promotes and facilitates medical and wellness tourism in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening AYUSH Ecosystem:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The establishment of three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda<\/strong> has been proposed to enhance education, research, and clinical services in Ayurveda.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Upgradation of the <strong>WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar <\/strong>for evidence-based research and global collaboration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Visa Reforms:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>e-Medical Visa and e-Medical Attendant Visa<\/strong> extended to <strong>172 countries.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Introduction of<strong> e-AYUSH Visa<\/strong> for traditional treatment seekers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Support:<\/strong> Revamped <strong>Medical Value Travel Portal <\/strong>offering end-to-end services (planning, booking, payments, follow-up care).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heal in India Initiative: <\/strong>The initiative aims to position India as a global hub for integrated healthcare services. It has two key pillar:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Medical Tourism: <\/strong>Focuses on curative services such as surgeries and advanced treatment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wellness Tourism: <\/strong>Focuses on preventive healthcare and holistic healing through traditional systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Medical Tourism in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strong competition<\/strong> from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most of the medical care is <strong>not covered by insurance<\/strong> and it makes medical value travel (MVT) less attractive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The MVT facilitators are not well organized<\/strong> and accredited. Many unprofessional agents exploit the medical value traveller.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Regulations:<\/strong> There are no comprehensive regulations to govern the MVT sector, which leaves the sector unorganised and lacks monitoring of the quality of services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promotion of MVT: <\/strong>Individual Hospitals are carrying out their publicity but there is no effective campaign to establish India as a brand for medical value travel.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Medical and wellness tourism represents a high-potential sector linking <strong>healthcare, economy, and soft power.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With strategic policy support, quality assurance, and global branding, India can emerge as a <strong>leading hub for affordable, holistic, and world-class <\/strong>healthcare services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2257447&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India is steadily emerging as a major global destination for medical tourism, with the country\u2019s medical value travel (MVT) market projected to grow from an estimated $8.7 billion in 2025 to nearly $16.2 billion by 2030. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is Medical Tourism?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Medical tourism refers to the practice of traveling to another country or region for medical treatment, procedures, or health-related services.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It involves both curative care (surgeries, specialised treatments) and, in some cases, preventive or diagnostic services. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-05-2026\/medical-tourism-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72932"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72936,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72932\/revisions\/72936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}