Medical Tourism Is Booming In India Post-Pandemic, Driven By Cost-Effective And Quality Treatment

India is betting on its potential in the health tourism industry and gearing up to capitalize on the surge in medical tourism as international travel picks up after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cost-effective treatment, availability of the latest medical technologies, highly-skilled doctors and the ability to provide a combination of both modern and traditional forms of medicine are some of the key things that make India attractive to medical tourists.

"India is booming as a global medical treatment hub with its world-class infrastructure, well-experienced and highly skilled doctors, personalized care by healthcare facilitators, affordable cost, ease of communication, and no waiting time for surgeries," Abdul Aleem, the CEO of Al Alfiya Meditour, a medical tourism company based out of Gurgaon in the northern Indian state of Haryana, told International Business Times. "We have people coming from Bangladesh, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, North Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the U.S., countries in Europe, the U.K, and Turkey."

"The numbers have increased after the lockdown lifted and the travel restarted. We now have patients coming from countries like Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Burkha Faso, and Guinea, which we never saw before the pandemic," Aleem said.

Around 2 million patients, from 78 countries, visit India every year for getting wellness and other treatments.

Oncology treatments, organ transplants, dental procedures like veneers, implants, dentures, maxillofacial surgeries, and cosmetics and plastic surgery are the most sought-after medical services in India, according to a report by Clinic Spots, a health consultant agency in Mumbai.

"People come to India for a range of treatments including cardiac surgeries, organ transplants, orthopedic and cancer treatments," Dr. Sankaran Sundar, a senior nephrologist and program director at Aster Institue of Renal Transplantation in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, told International Business Times.

According to Dr. Sundar, the cost of medical treatment in India is at least 10 times less than in the U.S. "For kidney transplant in India it would cost around $10,000, while Singapore charges around 100,000 SGD, and in the U.S. it would cost around $400,000," he said.

Dr. Rajkrishnan Chandrasekharan, a pioneer in dental tourism in the southern Indian state of Kerala, has treated more than 17,000 patients since he started his dental clinic in 1995. Having clients from Europe, the U.K., the U.S., Australia, and the Middle East, Dr. Chandrasekharan also said affordable world-class treatment and no waiting time for treatment were the main attraction for his overseas customers.

A dental implant that costs around $2,800 in the U.S. can be done in India for around half the price. And an angioplasty costs around $57,000 in the U.S. but can be done at $3,300.

India's medical tourism sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.1% from 2020 to 2027. The country's medical tourism market is currently valued at $7,417 million and New Delhi targets to triple its revenue from the sector to $13 billion within the next four years.

"The pandemic was a bleak period for us, just like any service connected to the travel industry ... when the travel bans were lifted, we could suddenly feel the boom. It was like people were just waiting to get their services done," Dr. Chandrasekharan said.

He said the medical tourism sector is going to see unprecedented growth in the coming years. "We have all the potential — cost efficiency, qualified doctors trained in advanced technologies, and good infrastructure. I feel the time is just right," he added.

With a vision to transform the country into a premier hub for medical tourism, India plans to invest $28.7 billion in the health and well-being sector, 137% higher than the previous year's budget outlay.

It is a vision that Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined in January last year: "In the coming years, I envision India as being the go-to destination for quality and affordable care. India has everything needed to be a hub for medical tourism. I say this based on the skills of our doctors," Modi said.

India issues medical visas to 165 countries, allowing foreign citizens to visit and stay in the country for 60 days, allowing them to enter the country three times during that period.

To ease visa and forex norms for medical tourists and to improve transparency in the system, the government introduced the "Heal In India" initiative. The one-stop online portal also assists international patients with their end-to-end medical journey in India.

Mansukh Mandaviya, India's Minister for Health and Family Welfare, recently said the country will become a global hub for medical tourism as it is "progressing towards a healthy and prosperous future through investment in health infrastructure."

Ayurveda is drawing medical tourists post-Covid

As lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, take hold across the world, more people are ready to attempt holistic disease treatment. And that has been reflected in India's medical tourism scene too.

India's traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, is a big draw among medical tourists. "Ayurveda is a holistic natural healing system that works on illnesses and helps in improving the overall wellness of the human body and mind," Dr. Sudeep Augustine, who works at Sahyadri Ayurveda Hospital in Kerala told IBT. "People from all over the world now understand the benefits of this great science and approach us both for treatment of diseases like gastrointestinal issues, lifestyle disorders, and neurological disorders as well as for maintaining their health."

Although Ayurveda is practiced across India, the flavor in Kerala, which is based heavily on herbs, is more well-known across the world.

India actively promotes indigenous medicine and associated treatment techniques and provides financial incentives for establishing world-class, super-specialty hospitals/daycare Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) centers. The country also has plans to issue Ayush visas — a special visa category for foreign nationals who want to come to India to get treated using traditional medicine.

"There was a gap in the inflow of guests from abroad during the pandemic", Dr. Augustine said. "The situation has now changed. Realizing the benefits of Ayurveda in resolving post-Covid issues, people now chose this alternative medical system."

To attract medical tourists and to make their stay comfortable, many hospitals have introduced specialized programs. Aster Medcity, a leading hospital in Kerala introduced one such value-added medical tourism initiative that offers a unique houseboat experience to patients from overseas while they avail services at the facility.

Many of the healthcare facilities are strategically located, allowing the visitors to enjoy the local tourist attractions during their stay. For instance, Sahyadri Ayurveda Hospital is located in Kuttikanam, within the tourist circuit of Kerala. "Our health facility is attractive to the customers who look for a relaxing experience while undergoing treatment," Dr. Augustine said.