Piyush Goyal floats 5-point plan to boost ecosystem to target 10 million medical value tourists
New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Monday outlined a five-point action plan to strengthen India’s medical value tourism ecosystem and position the country as a gateway for international health and wellness services with the highest quality standards.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of ‘Sanjeevani 2026’ at the ‘Bharat Health Global Expo 2026’ here, 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. He called for medical value tourism to expand beyond metropolitan cities to tier 2 and 3 cities, creating jobs, opportunities and infrastructure while also helping upgrade healthcare for Indian patients.
Goyal said that while 3.5 million patients have benefited from India’s medical value tourism ecosystem in the last seven years, the country’s target should be 10 million patients a year. He said India has the ability, capability, right doctors and the right ecosystem to achieve this.
He said countries with which India is engaging through FTAs and business discussions want high-quality pharmaceuticals, doctors, technicians, nurses and caregivers from India in large numbers.
Goyal also suggested creating a pool of interpreters for patients arriving from different countries and speaking different languages, so that they have greater confidence and communication between patients and the medical system becomes easier.
The minister also emphasised that quality healthcare cannot be different for Indians and foreigners. He said India must ensure that every Indian patient receives the same high-quality healthcare as anyone coming from across the world.
Highlighting the potential of India’s medical value tourism sector, Goyal said India has clinical excellence, advanced technologies and healthcare costs 60-80 per cent lower than in other parts of the world, particularly the developed world.
He said India also has compassion in abundance and appreciated the care and concern demonstrated by medical professionals across the country, from small nursing homes and doctors’ clinics to large municipal, private and government hospitals, often while working under considerable constraints.
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