Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal
Highlighting India’s cost advantage, Goyal said the country offers clinical excellence and advanced technologies while healthcare costs are “60 to 80 per cent lower than other parts of the world, particularly the developed world.”
New Delhi: India has the potential to emerge as a major global hub for medical value tourism, with the healthcare ecosystem capable of generating jobs, business opportunities and international goodwill, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said at the inauguration of Sanjeevani 2026 at the Bharat Health Global Expo in New Delhi.
Goyal said India’s competitive advantage in healthcare extends beyond pharmaceuticals to hospitals, medical equipment, diagnostics, traditional medicine and a skilled pool of doctors, nurses and technicians.
“The Indian medical value tourism has huge potential,” he said, urging the sector not to miss the opportunity presented by rising healthcare costs, ageing populations, long waiting lists and shortages of tertiary care in several countries.
Highlighting India’s cost advantage, Goyal said the country offers clinical excellence and advanced technologies while healthcare costs are “60 to 80 per cent lower than other parts of the world, particularly the developed world.” He said this combination could strengthen India’s position as an international destination for patients seeking quality and affordable treatment.
Goyal said the first priority should be to train and certify caregivers and develop a skilled workforce capable of providing healthcare of international standards.
The second point, he said, should be to encourage more hospitals to join the ‘Heal in India’ gateway and publish honest and transparent treatment packages. He stressed that hospitals must follow ethical practices and never attempt to cheat patients, as one wrong action can lead to loss of goodwill, business and credibility for India.
As the third point, the minister called upon insurers and health-tech companies to build products and platforms that make the patient journey more seamless, ensuring timely reimbursements and greater availability of cashless payments. He also suggested that teleconsultations and telemedicine could be incorporated in a big way as an initial part of the medical value tourism journey.
The fourth point was the need to organise exhibitions and presentations across the world, establish facilitators and tie-ups with hospitals globally, and ensure that only National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH)-enabled, verified and panelled hospitals are allowed to treat patients coming from abroad. He stressed that NABH must maintain the highest standards with zero compromise.
As the fifth point, the minister urged states to focus on quality in hospitals and wellness centres, expand their networks, make good-quality facilities globally visible and market these facilities for the welfare of patients.
Goyal also set an ambitious growth target for the sector.
He noted that 3.5 million patients had benefited from India’s medical value tourism ecosystem over the past seven years and said the target should be to reach at least 10 million patients annually.
“We have the ability, we have the capability, we have the right doctors, we have the right ecosystem,” he said, while stressing that high standards, ethics and integrity would be critical to achieving that scale.
He called for healthcare providers to make the patient journey more seamless, including through transparent treatment packages, faster insurance reimbursements, cashless payments and wider use of tele-consultations. He also suggested creating a pool of interpreters to help international patients navigate language barriers.
Goyal said medical tourism should also expand beyond major metropolitan centres to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, supported by improving air and transport connectivity. He noted that India had increased the number of airports from 74 in 2014 to nearly 165-170, with a target of more than 200 airports.
“India becomes the gateway for international health and wellness services with the highest quality standards available anywhere in the world,” Goyal said, underscoring the government’s vision for India’s healthcare sector.
Agencies