Geopolitical Instabilities, VISA Denial Key Challenge For Medical Tourism In India: Expert
India's medical tourism sector is experiencing significant growth, positioning the country as a leading destination for affordable and high-quality healthcare services. In 2024, the industry was valued at approximately USD 7.69 billion, with around 7.3 million foreign patients seeking medical treatment in India. Projections indicate that the market could reach USD 18 billion by 2027, driven by factors such as cost-effective treatments, advanced medical technology, and government initiatives.
Key Drivers of Growth
"India offers medical procedures at a fraction of the cost compared to developed countries. For instance, a heart bypass surgery in India costs around USD 5,000, whereas the same procedure in the United States can cost approximately USD 123,000. This affordability, combined with a robust healthcare infrastructure featuring over 1,600 NABH-accredited hospitals and numerous JCI-accredited facilities, attracts patients from regions like West Asia, Africa, and South Asia," said Amit Bansal, Founder and CEO, Medigence.
He said that government initiatives such as the "Heal in India" campaign and the introduction of the Ayush visa have streamlined visa processes and promoted traditional wellness therapies, further enhancing India's appeal as a medical tourism hub, but a lot is yet to be done.
Challenges Facing the Sector
Despite the positive trajectory, the medical tourism industry in India faces several challenges:
Infrastructure Disparities: While metropolitan areas boast advanced medical facilities, rural regions often lack adequate healthcare infrastructure, leading to uneven service quality across the country.
Regulatory Hurdles
"Complex licensing procedures and inconsistent regulations across states can delay service delivery and deter investment in the sector. Then, there is VISA hurdles. Many a times, a patient gets visa but their family members don't get it and it creates a huge challege and an environment of deterrence," said Bansal.
Geopolitical Instabilities: Political unrest in neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan has led to a significant drop in medical tourist inflow, highlighting the sector's vulnerability to regional conflicts.
Quality and Safety Concerns: Inconsistencies in service quality and safety standards across different facilities can undermine patient confidence and
Future Outlook
To sustain growth and address existing challenges, India must focus on enhancing healthcare infrastructure across all regions, standardizing regulations, and ensuring consistent quality and safety standards. By leveraging its cost advantages and expanding its reach to new markets, India has the potential to solidify its position as a global leader in medical tourism.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
AI 171 crash: 217 DNA matches completed, 199 bodies handed over on Thursday
Ahmedabad: Until 8.30pm on Thursday, which marked a week since the AI 171 airplane crash, the state administration completed the identification of 217 victims after completing the DNA cross-verification process. According to a social media post by state health minister Rushikesh Patel, the Civil Hospital authorities handed over the mortal remains of 199 victims to their families. Dr Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, said that two more families were to receive the bodies by late Thursday evening. "Five other families will be handed over the mortal remains by Friday morning. Nine families are awaiting DNA matches for all the members they have lost as the verification process is yet to identify some of them," he said. "Out of the total, 183 bodies have been sent to their residences or crematoriums by ambulance, whereas the remaining 15 are sent by air." Out of the total bodies handed over so far, 40 belong to foreign nationals, the authorities said. They include 32 from the UK, seven from Portugal and one from Canada. The rest include 149 Indian passengers and nine non-passengers, as reported by the Civil Hospital authorities. A few more families performed the last rites of their loved ones on Thursday while others are still awaiting the bodies. "Against the 15-parameter match in DNA analysis, referring to the number of autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, which is followed internationally, the method employed here has a 23-parameter match. The purpose of the process is to ensure that the match stands in any lab or court in India or abroad. The NABL-accredited lab and internationally certified experts add value to the process," said a senior state home department official. "It will help the victims avail of insurance and other claims." Sources said, the next couple of days are crucial as the relatively difficult samples collected from the site and sent by the Civil Hospital authorities are being processed by the experts. "Some of the remains are badly charred, and thus it may need more than one attempt to extract DNA for matching. But we are hopeful of getting maximum matches," said the official.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
19yo runner suffers cardiac arrest on track, dies
Nainital: A 19-year-old seasoned long-distance runner died of a cardiac arrest while preparing for a marathon along Bhowali Road in Nainital district around 5:30 am on Wednesday. Bhupendra Devli's friend Vivek, 20, said as they increased their pace near Kailakhan area, Bhupendra collapsed face-first. Vivek took an unconscious Bhupendra on a roadways bus to Tallital and then arranged for a car to take him to B D Pandey Hospital in Mallital. However, Bhupendra was declared dead on arrival. Tallital SHO Ramesh Bora said, "We have handed over the body to Bhupendra's family after post-mortem. Initial reports suggest Bhupendra suffered a massive cardiac arrest, which proved fatal due to delayed medical intervention." Bhupendra, who was pursuing an MCA degree at Pal College in Haldwani, often participated in local marathons and was known among peers for his dedication to long-distance running. He is survived by his parents and two siblings. His father Nandan Singh Devli works with the state forest department. Recently, incidents of young people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest have surfaced in Uttarakhand. In Almora's Dhaulchhina, 23-year-old Kamla experienced severe chest pain and collapsed after returning from gathering fodder and died on the way to hospital on Tuesday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch xu hướng AUD/USD? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
AP prepares for Int'l Yoga Day celebration's trial run
Visakhapatnam: A series of Yogandhra programmes were recently conducted across north coastal Andhra Pradesh, as part of the state's month-long celebration leading up to International Yoga Day on June 21. In Srikakulam, MLA Gondru Shankar participated in a large-scale event at the 80-feet road junction. On this occasion, he highlighted govt's commitment to public health through yoga and credited chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for prioritising yoga as a tool for mental and physical well-being. District collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, who oversaw the arrangements, ensured that the programmes were held successfully at historically significant sites with the support of the AYUSH department and local yoga instructors. The district is holding daily yoga events with strong public involvement. In Vizianagaram district, state minister S Savitha chaired a review meeting at Kotarubilli village in Gantyada mandal to monitor preparations for the Yoga Day event in Visakhapatnam. Stressing the preventive health benefits of yoga, she encouraged all citizens to adopt it as part of their daily routine. State minister Kondapalli Srinivas also urged public representatives and citizens to actively participate. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch xu hướng AUD/USD? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing for the mega event in Visakhapatnam on June 21, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend. Vizianagaram collector Dr BR Ambedkar said that a trial run for logistics will be conducted on Thursday, June 19, at the Vizag beach venue. Each mandal will send one bus for the trial run, accompanied by liaison officers, which will travel to the beach as per a designated route map. At the beach, a trial will be conducted for entering the compartments, parking buses, and other arrangements and logistics.
