As Centre readies ‘Heal in India’ portal, hospital chains suggest a slew of measures on medical tourism

Lav Agarwal

As the government readies a ‘Heal in India’ portal to monitor the end-to-end journey of foreign patients arriving in the country for treatment, large private hospital chains looking to increase their medical tourism business have shared a number of suggestions with the Centre.

Lav Agarwal, assistant secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said the government is working with the hospital chains and other ministries to ensure that India strengthens its position as a go-to destination for medical tourism.

“A dedicated portal for the ‘Heal in India’ initiative aiming to boost medical value travel or medical tourism will be rolled out soon,” Agarwal told Moneycontrol.

“It is expected to bring all accredited hospitals on a common portal run by the government (Ministry of Health),” he added.

Focusing on services

Agarwal said the government's focus has shifted from providing information on health facilities to providing services to patients coming from abroad.

“The government of India is in the process of becoming a partner with all stakeholder ministries, insurance providers, and hospitals and plans to proactively promote the concept of ‘Heal in India’,” he said.

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As part of this portal, the government would be working with accredited hospitals to support patients and attendants from abroad coming for treatment in India.

Administrative and governance issues

Large private hospital chains, such as Fortis and Max healthcare, while holding deliberations with the Centre on boosting medical tourism in India, have identified several administrative issues.

The official spokesperson for Max Healthcare told Moneycontrol that the group has urged the government to make the medical visa assistance (MVA) process easy.

“A 'welcome desk' needs to be set up at international airports in a separately demarcated lounge where arriving patients can rest,” the spokesperson added.

Anil Vinayak, Group Chief Operating Officer, Fortis Healthcare Limited, said the government needs to address the motivated portrayal of poor hygiene, antibiotic resistance and superbugs in India by the western media, as it creates barriers to the growth of medical tourism from developed countries.

“There should be some process of quality assessment/accreditation of providers as well as agencies that facilitate medical value travel (MVT), so that patient experience can be improved,” Vinayak said.

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Easing visa issues

The hospital chains have told the government that the services related to visas for patients need to be fine-tuned and the facilities such as visa-on-arrival should be made swift.

Fortis Healthcare’s Vinayak said the government should ensure ease in securing medical visas and add more countries to the e-visa list.

“Also, review direct flights to countries with high potential for MVT. These factors are responsible for the growth of MVT in other countries like Turkey,” he added.

The Max Healthcare spokesperson said the group has asked the government to review the waiting time for medical visas.

“In countries like Yemen, Somalia, and other war-impacted countries where the Indian embassy is not functional, patients must be allowed to file medical visas virtually,” the official added.

The hospital chains have also urged the government to roll out a dedicated 24/7 helpline for international patients, offering support with regard to treatment, visas, and their healthcare needs during their stay in India

A representative from NATHEALTH said a dedicated concierge facility for MVT patients at airports is the need of the hour.

“It is important that patients and their families feel welcome and comfortable from their first port of entry. Our Indian embassies and missions abroad can run dedicated Medical Value Travel desks, acting as a single stop for comprehensive information relating to partners, procedures, costs, and visas,” the representative added.