The Passport to Wellness: Why Medical Tourists Still Flock to India- But For How Long
By Arunima Rajan
A hospital lobby can feel like an airport lounge these days, crowded with wheel-chairs, wheeled suitcases and the quiet murmur of half-a-dozen languages. India’s visitor charts explain the scene. Ministry of Tourism data show 1.83 lakh foreign patients in 2020, rising to 3.24 lakh in 2021 and 4.75 lakh in 2022. Arrivals peaked at 6.59 lakh in 2023 before dipping to 6 lakh 25 thousand in 2024, a slowdown many insiders blame on longer medical-visa queues.
Peel back the numbers and the reliance on a few neighbours jumps out. Bangladesh alone sent 2.21 lakh patients in 2017, about forty-five per cent of that year’s total. By 2022 its share had ballooned to nearly sixty-nine per cent, or 3. 27 lakh arrivals. Iraq followed at a distant 30 thousand visitors. Yemen, Oman and the Maldives each contributed between eleven and fourteen thousand. Add the next five countries and these ten source markets still delivered more than ninety-five per cent of India’s medical travellers in 2022. The appeal is real, but the concentration leaves India exposed: a visa backlog in Dhaka or a diplomatic chill in West Asia immediately shows up in hospital corridors.
Cost leads every sales pitch. Independent studies put potential savings at up to seventy per cent for selected procedures, yet patients do not fly across oceans on price tags alone. They do their homework, combing through accreditation logos, surgeon résumés and infection-control scores the way they would screen neighbourhood clinics. Many discover that a cardiac specialist in Chennai trained at the same US fellowship programme as a consultant in Chicago, but quotes a fraction of the fee. They are also reminded that every surgery carries risk, whether the theatre is in Kolkata or Kansas. The reassurance comes from knowing that many of the doctors serving medical tourists are the same physicians trusted by local populations and often hold degrees from Europe or the United States.
The marketplace is getting crowded. The Medical Tourism Index, the industry’s consumer-perception yardstick, currently rates Canada, Singapore, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom in its top five. Mid-field challengers such as Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Poland and the United Arab Emirates are jostling for space in the same brochures that once carried a handful of familiar names. India therefore competes in a field where climate, language, menus, flight schedules and visa speed all weigh as heavily as the surgeon’s pedigree.
Dalip Kumar Chopra has had a front-row seat to these shifts for two decades. As President of the Foundation of Healthcare and Wellness Promotion he liaises with hospitals, patient-facilitation firms and policymakers. We spoke about why travellers still favour India, where the cracks are beginning to show and how the country can keep its edge.
Beyond discounted surgery, what really convinces patients to choose a destination?
Cost starts the search, but the short-list forms only after travellers weigh climate, culture and convenience. A temperate environment helps healing. A multicultural atmosphere makes visitors feel they belong. English proficiency or reliable interpreters remove anxiety. Familiar food speeds recovery. Short flights reduce fatigue, and a predictable medical visa often clinches the booking.
What does an accreditation like Joint Commission International signal to a family browsing online?
It says the hospital follows globally recognised protocols for safety and quality. In an era of instant reviews, families look for that badge. It offers immediate peace of mind.
Insurance hurdles seem to trip up many travellers. Where do problems surface and how can they prepare?
Legal barriers are rare for patients with international cover. The challenge is cashless admission, since insurer networks often stop at the border. Broader tieups would solve most friction. Travellers who want extra assurance can buy specialist policies that cover negligence beyond their existing protections.
Source: India Tourism Statistics 2018, 2023; Ministry of Tourism, GOI
Recovery does not end at discharge. How do Indian hospitals stay connected when the patient is back home?
Tele consultations, video calls, remote diagnostics and even tele ICU dashboards keep surgeons in the loop. Reports travel both ways so the local physician remains part of the care chain.
Dalip Kumar Chopra, President, Foundation of Healthcare and Wellness Promotion
What exactly happens inside an internationalpatient services desk?
Think concierge, translator and crisismanager rolled into one hub. The desk arranges airport pickups, books dietappropriate accommodation, schedules doctor visits, keeps track of test results, explains bills and sees the traveller off at departures.
Flybynight facilitators are a worry. How can patients or hospitals identify the reliable ones?
An NABH accreditation badge is a solid filter. Combine that with documented staff training and clear dataprivacy practices and you have a facilitator you can trust.
From a practical standpoint, which technologies genuinely lift service quality for foreign patients?
Secure cloud records, encrypted chat with doctors, appbased reminders and digital billing bring transparency. When data flow without snags, outcomes and satisfaction follow.
Branding seems to be half the battle. Which hospitals or countries have mastered the playbook?
Mayo Clinic leads with depth, Bumrungrad sells hospitality, Parkway showcases process, Apollo emphasises breadth. The winning recipe is consistent outcomes presented in clear language across every marketing touchpoint.
Collaboration often sounds good on paper. How can strong health systems work with countries that have care gaps without breeding dependence?
Capacitybuilding is key. Transfer technology, run joint training for nurses and technicians, create twin centres of excellence. Skills stay in the host country long after the original partnership cycle ends.
Bangladesh once filled Indian wards. Can trust and numbers be rebuilt?
The clinical trust never left. What changed is the visa queue, now sixty to ninety days. Competitors approve visas in a week or less. Speed up processing and those numbers will rebound because the confidence in Indian surgery is already there.
Source: https://icrier.org/pdf/pb-29.pdf
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