The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry has outlined a comprehensive action plan to expand India’s medical value tourism sector through the Heal in India gateway. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Sanjeevani 2026 at Bharat Health Global Expo in New Delhi, the Minister called for trained caregivers, increased hospital participation, and quality-focused expansion to position India as a premier destination for international healthcare services.
The Five-Point Action Plan
The Minister has identified five key priorities to strengthen India’s medical value tourism ecosystem:
- Training and certification of caregivers to deliver healthcare meeting international standards
- Encouraging hospitals to join the Heal in India gateway and publish transparent, ethical treatment packages
- Building seamless patient experiences through insurance products, health-tech platforms, timely reimbursements, cashless payments, teleconsultations and telemedicine services
- Organizing global exhibitions, establishing international facilitators, and ensuring only National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH)-verified hospitals treat foreign patients
- Expanding quality healthcare facilities in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities beyond metropolitan areas
The Minister emphasised that India currently serves 3.5 million medical value tourists annually, but the country should target 10 million patients per year. He highlighted India’s advantages: clinical excellence, advanced technology, and healthcare costs 60-80 per cent lower than developed nations.
Additional measures include creating a pool of interpreters for international patients and maintaining NABH certification standards with zero compromise. The Minister stressed that quality healthcare standards must remain identical for Indian and international patients, and that ethical practices and professional integrity are non-negotiable.
What This Means for You
If you are seeking medical treatment in India or considering healthcare tourism, these measures aim to provide greater transparency, better patient communication through interpreters, and assured quality standards through NABH verification. Healthcare providers and hospitals expanding into medical value tourism must now follow stricter ethical guidelines and publish clear treatment costs. For Indians receiving treatment domestically, the emphasis on uniform quality standards ensures the same care quality reaches all patients regardless of wealth, while the expansion into smaller cities may improve access to quality healthcare across regions.