Medical Tourism in India: Costs, Hospitals, Visa and Patient Travel

What Is Medical Tourism in India?

Medical tourism in India means travelling from another country to receive planned treatment at one of India’s accredited private hospitals, then returning home once recovered enough to travel. The most common treatments are cardiac surgery, organ transplants, orthopaedic surgery, cancer care, fertility treatment, and dental and cosmetic procedures. The Government of India calls the sector medical value travel.

It suits patients who are stable enough to travel and whose treatment can be planned in advance. It is not a substitute for emergency care in a life-threatening situation. Safe Fly Aviation’s part is the travel: safe transport to India and, where the patient’s condition requires it, a medical escort, an airline stretcher or a dedicated air ambulance for the outbound or the return journey.

Medical Tourism in India in Numbers

Market and patient figures: Government of India, Medical and Wellness Tourism in India, May 2026. Private research firms publish higher estimates, because they define the market more widely.

Where patients come from

These seven countries sent the most patients to India in 2025, according to the same government statement.

Why Patients Choose India for Treatment

Treatment Cost Comparison: India and the USA

These ranges are approximate and illustrative. They are not a quote. The actual cost depends on the hospital, the surgeon, the implant or device used, the length of stay and the patient’s case.

Self-pay cost ranges in US dollars, rounded, compiled from published medical-tourism and healthcare-cost reporting. They are not verified hospital price lists. Savings of 70% to 90% against the USA are commonly quoted, but the figure varies by procedure and provider. Always ask the treating hospital for a written, itemised estimate before travelling.

Hospital Groups Used by International Patients

These are some of the larger private groups that regularly treat international patients. The list is not complete and does not endorse one provider over another.

Safe Fly Aviation arranges travel and, where needed, air ambulance or medical escort transport for patients treated at the hospital of their choice. We do not provide treatment and do not receive a referral fee tied to any hospital.

Medical Visa for India

• e-Medical visa: for foreign nationals coming to India for treatment, applied for online. India’s official e-Visa portal lists its duration as one year (365 days) from arrival with multiple entries. The FAQ on the same portal still states 60 days, so go by the validity printed on the visa you are granted.
• No extension: an e-Visa cannot be extended or converted to another visa type. Agree the treatment dates with the hospital before you apply.
• e-Medical Attendant visa: for companions travelling with the patient. Only two attendant visas are granted against one patient’s e-Medical visa.
• What you need: a passport, and a letter from the hospital in India confirming the planned treatment. Apply with accurate travel dates.
• Where the e-Visa is not available: some nationalities must apply for a Medical visa through the Indian embassy or high commission.
• Yellow fever certificate: travellers arriving from countries with yellow fever risk, including several in Africa, need a valid vaccination certificate, or they can be quarantined for up to 6 days on arrival.

Rules differ by nationality and change over time. Check the official Indian e-Visa portal before you apply.

How Patients Travel to India

Most patients who are fit to fly travel on an ordinary airline ticket. When the patient’s condition rules that out, there are three options.

Stable, can sit upright

Medical escort in an airline seat

A doctor or nurse travels in the next seat with oxygen and medicines, usually in business class for space and rest.

Bring You Home medical escort

Stable, must lie flat

Commercial airline stretcher

A stretcher replaces a block of seats on a scheduled flight, with a medical escort alongside. The airline must give medical clearance first.

Commercial stretcher services

Unstable or critical

Dedicated air ambulance

A private jet with a full ICU team flies to the patient’s schedule, from bedside to bedside.

International bed-to-bed guide

Aircraft types shown as examples. The aircraft and airline for each transfer depend on the route, the patient and availability.

Travel to India by Region

Each regional guide gives the routes, flight times and medical transport rates for that part of the world.

Budget ranges for medical transport, reviewed October 2026. 1 lakh = ₹100,000 and 1 crore = ₹10 million. See the full air ambulance cost list.

How Safe Fly Aviation Supports the Journey

We coordinate travel for both directions of the trip: arriving for treatment and returning home afterwards.

1. Share the case. Tell us the planned treatment, the hospital if you have chosen one, where the patient is now and how well the patient can travel.
2. Documents and fitness to fly. We point you to the e-Medical visa process and, for a commercial flight, help coordinate the fit-to-fly certificate and the airline’s medical form.
3. Arrival and transfer. A patient who can fly commercially travels with a medical escort or on an airline stretcher. An unstable or critical patient travels by dedicated air ambulance to the treating hospital.
4. During treatment. Our coordination team stays reachable for the family and the hospital, to plan the return journey while treatment is under way.
5. Return journey. Once the treating doctor confirms fitness to travel, we arrange the trip home by commercial escort, airline stretcher or air ambulance, matched to the patient’s recovery.

Already in India and need a transfer between cities? See air ambulance services in India. For the documents at each stage, see the air ambulance booking guide.