Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Piyush Goyal Sets 10 Million Target for Medical Tourism
Piyush Goyal wants India to treat more people from other countries.
He proposed five ideas to make medical travel safer and easier.
Caregivers should be trained and certified.
More hospitals should join the Heal in India gateway and clearly explain their prices.
Insurance and technology companies should make payments, appointments and online medical advice simpler.
Foreign patients should be treated at trusted hospitals that meet quality standards.
Interpreters should help patients who speak different languages.
Good hospitals in smaller cities should also be promoted.
India has helped about 3.5 million medical tourists in seven years and wants to reach 10 million patients each year.
Piyush Goyal proposed a five-point plan to expand India’s medical value tourism ecosystem and serve 10 million patients annually.
The plan calls for trained caregivers, more hospitals on the Heal in India gateway and transparent treatment packages.
Insurers and health-tech companies were urged to improve reimbursements, cashless payments, teleconsultations and telemedicine.
International patients should be directed to NABH-accredited, verified and panelled hospitals, supported by global partnerships and interpreters.
Goyal urged states to promote quality facilities beyond major cities, while maintaining equal healthcare standards for Indian and foreign patients.
- Who
- Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, alongside hospitals, insurers, health-tech companies and state governments.
- What
- A five-point action plan to expand India’s medical value tourism ecosystem and target 10 million patients annually.
- When
- Monday, during the inaugural ceremony of Sanjeevani 2026.
- Where
- New Delhi, at the Bharat Health Global Expo 2026.
- Why
- To expand international healthcare services while improving quality, trust, infrastructure, jobs and access for Indian and foreign patients.
- Current reach
- About 3.5 million patients benefited from India’s medical value tourism ecosystem over the past seven years.
- Annual target
- India aims to serve 10 million medical value tourists each year.
- Plan structure
- The five priorities are workforce training, transparent hospitals, smoother patient services, verified facilities and state-led expansion.
- Hospital requirement
- International patients should be treated only at NABH-accredited, verified and panelled hospitals.
- Geographic expansion
- The plan calls for medical value tourism to grow beyond metropolitan areas into tier-II and tier-III cities.
- Reported cost advantage
- Goyal said healthcare costs in India are 60–80% lower than in other parts of the world, particularly developed countries.
- Equal treatment
- Goyal said Indian and foreign patients should receive the same high-quality healthcare, without discrimination based on wealth.
