Govt to Launch Unified MVT Portal as NITI Aayog Calls for Healthcare Deregulation

The new platform aims to enhance the overall experience for international patients by streamlining access to healthcare and associated services.

In a major step to position India as a global hub for healthcare, the government is developing a comprehensive online portal for Medical Value Travel (MVT).

Announcing the initiative at FICCI's Medical Value Travel Conference, Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State (IC) for the Ministry of Ayush and Minister of State for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, outlined the government's strategy to create a unified digital ecosystem integrating hospitals, facilitators, travel agents, hotels, translators, and support services.

The new platform aims to enhance the overall experience for international patients by streamlining access to healthcare and associated services.

Expanding Healthcare Beyond Metropolises

Minister Jadhav highlighted that the government's MVT strategy goes beyond major cities, focusing on expanding healthcare ecosystems into tier-2 and tier-3 regions.

Collaborations with private sector players will be crucial in offering comprehensive, end-to-end services—from treatment coordination and travel arrangements to post-treatment care.

This strategic expansion is expected to decentralize India's healthcare offerings and make high-quality medical services more accessible to a broader demographic of international patients.

Regulatory Reforms on the Horizon

Speaking at the event, Dr Vinod K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, underscored the importance of deregulation in the healthcare sector.

He invited suggestions from industry stakeholders to reduce compliance burdens for healthcare facility development, especially in smaller towns and cities.

"We are systematically examining how to ease the compliance burden for creating facilities in tier-2 and tier-3 cities," Dr Paul said. He also stressed the importance of visa facilitation, transparency, and trust-building to strengthen India's position in medical tourism.

Dr Paul highlighted telemedicine as a growing opportunity and raised concerns about cross-border legal liabilities.

"India should lead the global discussion on the legal framework for telemedicine. We are already a superpower in this space," he added.

Dr Paul further called for more government-to-government healthcare collaborations, which he said would bolster international confidence in India's healthcare system.

He also advocated enhancing accreditation and quality standards across medical institutions to assure international patients of India's high standards of care.

India's Growing Medical Value Travel Market

According to recent data, India's MVT market was valued at $7.69 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to over $14.31 billion by 2029. India currently commands an 18% share of the global MVT market and ranks tenth globally on the Medical Value Travel Index.

Experts at the conference stressed that continued focus on quality, transparency, and patient experience could help India climb even higher in global rankings.

Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, emphasized expanding the scope of medical value travel to include India's rich traditional medicine systems, such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy.

He proposed the creation of a "clinical medical travel circuit," akin to tourism circuits, to promote holistic healing journeys for international visitors.

Citing a recent study by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), Kotecha noted that the AYUSH sector's worth—including products and services—has reached nearly $55 billion, with medical-value travel accounting for around $30 billion.

While India ranks seventh globally in medical value travel, Kotecha pointed out that the country lags in wellness tourism, ranking 20th. He urged stakeholders to capitalize on the sector's 10.8% global growth rate and accelerate India's participation.

E-Visa System & Infrastructure Enhancements

Mugdha Sinha, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, highlighted that medical tourism constitutes about 6% of India's total foreign tourist arrivals. In 2024, around 644,000 visitors entered India on e-medical and e-AYUSH visas from 20 countries.

She stressed the need for improvements to the e-visa system, suggesting that although purpose-based visas for medical travel and AYUSH are available to 174 countries, the application process still requires a more seamless, efficient, and secure approach.

Sinha called for leveraging India's IT expertise to build an integrated, multilingual platform that ensures privacy and protects patients from cyber fraud and data misuse.

Dr Upasana Arora, Chair of FICCI's Medical Value Travel Committee and Managing Director of Yashoda Super Speciality Hospitals, highlighted India's unique holistic approach.

"India is not just offering modern medical science but also integrating traditional healing systems like Unani and Ayurveda," she said.

Dr Raajiv Singhal, Co-Chair, FICCI MVT Committee and CEO of Marengo Asia Hospitals, added that India's MVT focus is evolving beyond merely attracting patients to forging international healthcare partnerships.

"We envision creating clinical corridors where we can teach, train, and treat healthcare professionals from around the world," he said.

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