 The downturn in medical tourism 

India's medical tourism bleeds patients out

Sector Revenue Up Despite Volume Decline

Geopolitics & Rivals Threaten Healthcare Edge

India's Medical Visa Process Blocks Patients

 Cost vs Quality 

Global Insurers Skip Indian Hospital Networks

India's Wellness Brand Remains Underexploited

Conclusion

Credits

India's medical tourism industry is in a quiet downturn. Foreign patient arrivals have fallen roughly a third since 2019 from nearly 700,000 visitors to around 500,000 dragged down by strained ties with Bangladesh, visa processing times stretching up to 60 days, and aggressive competition from Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. A tax incidence on medical referrals threatens to push costs higher just as global insurers remain largely unempanelled with Indian hospitals. The silver lining: average revenue per patient is rising, as high-value procedures like oncology and cardiac surgery now dominate. Host Anirban Chowdhury talks to ET’s Forum Gandhi and  pharma editor Vikas Dandekar about the problem, its reasons and fixes.



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You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin

Check out other interesting episodes like: How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?, How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z, Two Women Fought to Change India's Maternity Laws...and Succeeded,Can India Truly End Naxalism?, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks  and much more.


Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.

India's medical tourism industry is in a quiet downturn. Foreign patient arrivals have fallen roughly a third since 2019 from nearly 700,000 visitors to around 500,000 dragged down by strained ties with Bangladesh, visa processing times stretching up to 60 days, and aggressive competition from Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. A tax incidence on medical referrals threatens to push costs higher just as global insurers remain largely unempanelled with Indian hospitals. The silver lining: average revenue per patient is rising, as high-value procedures like oncology and cardiac surgery now dominate.&nbsp;Host Anirban Chowdhury talks to ET&rsquo;s Forum Gandhi and&nbsp; pharma editor Vikas Dandekar about the problem, its reasons and fixes. 
Listen in: You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media:<a href="https://twitter.com/AnirbanET"> X</a> and<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirban-chowdhury-b5067219/"> Linkedin </a>Check out other interesting episodes like:<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000742733036"> How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000740924439"> How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000760362789">Two Women Fought to Change India's Maternity Laws...and Succeeded</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000738205536"> </a><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000757611462">Can India Truly End Naxalism?</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000756051799">Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma&rsquo;s Moat Breaks</a>&nbsp; and<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777"> much more</a>.
 Catch the latest episode of &lsquo;The Morning Brief&rsquo; on<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/podcast?from=mdr"> The Economic Times Online</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6PL5kfPbwURBEu6fHCVTOL?si=26ec0fbfa7134fea"> Spotify</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777"> Apple Podcasts</a>,<a href="https://www.jiosaavn.com/shows/the-morning-brief/1/GNPiFQD2xpY_"> JioSaavn</a>,<a href="https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/f378141f-9afb-495d-83da-9b08ec5047ac/the-morning-brief"> Amazon Music</a> and<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theetpodcasts"> Youtube</a>.

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The Morning Brief

India's Medical Tourism Slips Off the Table