Study on Medical Value Travel in Joint Commission International-Accredited Hospitals of National Capital Region
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Dear Editor, The medical value travel (MVT) sector of India has gained momentum in recent decades. MVT, as a term, defines visits by overseas patients for availing of medical treatment. The most favorable factors for MVT to India are its culture[1] and the availability of high-quality services at low cost.[2] The key initiatives of the government such as the promotion of the brand India, self-regulation by providers, separate immigration counters, facilitation desks at major airports,[3] and an “e-medical visa”[4] encouraged medical value travelers to visit India. The Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation of hospitals[5] helped India, especially Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), to emerge as a popular destination. The establishment of super specialty, world-class private hospitals during the last two decades, and the availability of direct frequent flights from various countries of the world further adds to the popularity of Delhi NCR. The incentives of the government such as financial support to medical tourism providers, empanelment and accreditation of tour agents, quick clearance to the private players, and eased visa rules accelerated the growth. Out of 36 JCI-accredited hospitals of India, eight are in Delhi NCR. The present study (the first of its kind) focused on the status of MVT in five of these to identify the latest top source countries and the popular medical specialties chosen by medical travelers. Coding was used so as not to disclose the names of the hospitals as per their privacy policy. Two hospitals A and B provided data of the past five fiscal years (FY 2017–18 to 2021–22) while hospitals C, D, and E provided data of the past three fiscal years (FY 2019–20 to 2021–22). The top regions from where the maximum number of medical travelers were received during different fiscal years are shown in Table 1. The travelers from Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia prefer India as they get better value for their money. The geographical, cultural, and economical closeness too have a positive impact on their choice. Europe, America, and East Asia are huge potential markets for the future as noticed during the study. More attention should be given to MV travelers of these regions and proper planning needs to be done to get a stronghold before the rest of the world peeps in.Table 1: Geographic region wise burden and specialty preferred by medical value travelers of hospitals A–E in past 5 fiscal yearsOncology was the most popular specialty chosen by MV travelers of JCI hospitals, followed by cardiology and neurology. The most preferred specialty varied from hospital to hospital because of the availability of specialist doctors and success rate [Table 1]. Gastroenterology, transplant medicine, and orthopedics are other popular specialties as observed during the study. There is scope of further improvement in the expansion of medical services and infrastructure in specialties such as organ transplant, stem cell transplant, and procedures that focus on wellness and rejuvenation to attract medical travelers that in turn may add more value to generate better revenue. Since cost is a central focus, sustaining it at a low level while providing high-quality holistic medical services would benefit India to become a leading MVT provider. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.
Source: Indian Journal of Public Health
Authors: Vineet Gautam, Sanjay Gupta
Institution: National Institute of Health and Family Welfare
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $48
OpenAlex ID: W4409381492