national medical & wellness tourism board

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National Medical & Wellness Tourism Promotion Board holds its first meeting

The board comprises representatives from government departments, tourism and hospitality sectors, indian medical association and experts from various disciplines including wellness and yoga the first meeting of the national medical & wellness tourism promotion board was held recently. it was chaired by dr mahesh sharma, union minister of state (i/c) for tourism & culture &….

The Board comprises representatives from government departments, tourism and hospitality sectors, Indian Medical Association and experts from various disciplines including wellness and yoga

The first meeting of the National Medical & Wellness Tourism Promotion Board was held recently. It was chaired by Dr Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture & Civil Aviation . The Board has representatives from government departments, tourism and hospitality sectors, Indian Medical Association and experts in various disciplines including wellness and yoga and other stakeholders. It was decided that three sub-committees would be formed to look into issues such as regulatory, accreditation and marketing .

Commenting on this, Dr SS Agarwal, National President and Dr KK Aggarwal, Honorary Secretary General of IMA in a joint statement said, “ India ’s competitive advantages lie in a large pool of highly-trained medical professionals, along with its cost competitiveness compared to other countries. But, rough edges in the delivery system need to be ironed out and glitches need to be removed. The need of the hour is greater number of accredited hospitals, easy visa regime and provision of linkages between the service provider and the end user.”

As Chairman of the Board, Dr Sharma said that the Board would function in an effective, responsible, and time bound manner to find solutions for immediate concerns in the efforts of health and tourism sector. He called upon the private sector to assume a leadership role in the medical and wellness tourism sector.

Reportedly, a data bank of available resources in the field of medical and wellness services in the country would be built up along with plans to disseminate this information to the source markets. The Board decided to have a single responsible body which is visible, accessible and through which the various medical systems that are interconnected can be reached by all. The Board unanimously agreed that a dedicated and sustained campaign on medical and wellness tourism in the source markets will substantially enhance medical tourist arrivals to the country, which can be led only by government interventions. It also agreed on integrating the services under ayurveda, yoga and other systems.

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National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism

Gs paper 2/3.

Syllabus: Government policies/Issues Relating to Health/Economy

Source: PIB

  Context: With an aim to improve medical tourism in the country, the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism (2022).

Background: India has been ranked 10th in the Medical Tourism Index (MTI) for 2020-2021 out of 46 destinations in the world by the Medical Tourism Association.

Medical vs wellness tourism:

• Medical tourism (valued at $60-80 billion globally) primarily addresses the “ poor health ” end of the market, with patients travelling to another place for specific medical treatments.
• Wellness tourism (~$639 billion), on the other hand, attracts those seeking destinations that extend their wellness lifestyle and help them proactively maintain and improve their health and well-being.
• As far as medical tourism is concerned, India currently has a $5-6 billion market (2019 figure) that may rise to $13 billion by 2026.

Govt. efforts to boost the medical tourism sector in India:

Streamlining Medical Value Travel (MVT) : A segment that attracted 0.7 million foreign tourists in pre-pandemic 2019.

• MVT is a specialised service by Hospitals and Wellness centres including both modern as well as traditional systems of medicine.
• It involves healthcare service providers, VISA requirements, insurance, MVT facilitators, etc.

National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism (2022): Key pillars for the development of MVT in the country:

• Develop a brand for India as a wellness destination
• Strengthen the ecosystem for medical and wellness tourism
• Enable digitalization by setting up an Online Medical Value Travel (MVT) Portal
• Enhancement of accessibility for Medical Value Travel
• Promoting Wellness Tourism
• Governance and Institutional Framework

Heal in India Initiative: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Ayush have been working with C-DAC and the Services Export Promotion Council for developing a One Step Heal in India portal for the Promotion of MVT.

Champion Service Sector Scheme: The Ministry of Ayush developed a Central Sector Scheme for MVT to incentivise private investors for the establishment of Super Specialty Hospitals, etc.

e-Tourist Visa scheme: It was liberalised and renamed as an e-Visa scheme and at present, it has e-Medical Visa and e-Medical Attendant Visa as sub-categories of e-visa.

National Medical & Wellness Tourism Board (NMWTB): The Ministry of Tourism constituted the Board in 2015 to provide a dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical and Wellness Tourism.

Insta Links: Heal in India

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In the past few decades, India has become a world-class destination for medical value travel. The Medical Tourism Index for 2020-21 ranks India as the 10th global destination in this regard. This has been possible because India performs well across various criteria- infrastructure, medical equipment and facilities, and well-trained healthcare professionals. India’s distinguishing factor- AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) also helps to drive its reputation as a preferred destination for Yoga and wellness through traditional practices.  

In an effort to boost the Medical Value Travel and Wellness Tourism in India further, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India recently launched the National Strategy and Roadmap for the same. This strategy outlines in detail the government’s six-pillar action plan to ramp up this sector. 

The six-pillar action plan 

The National Strategy provided by the Ministry of Tourism lists 6 key focus areas with the mission to create a well-defined framework for MVT and enhance cooperation between the key stakeholders, namely the central and state governments, as well as the private players of this sector. To this effect, the following action areas have been identified: 

“Heal in India” 

In its strategy, the government has recognized the need to brand India as a destination for medical and wellness tourism, acknowledging the lack of a current campaign focusing solely on highlighting India’s capability in this sector. Through this campaign, the government will not only highlight India’s expertise as a hub for modern medical science with advanced technologies but also as a center for alternative medicine. India, through its range of ancient healing practices such as Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Unani has a comparative advantage in holistic curing with no side effects, treatments that should be highlighted while branding India as a wellness destination. To this effect, schemes for market development assistance will also be made more lucrative for wellness and medical tourism service providers. 

Bolstering the current ecosystem 

When a medical tourist visits the host country, he makes use of a variety of services for the duration of his stay, that may or may not be directly related to his desired treatment. For example, some commonly used services include commercial agents like hotels for stay, airlines for travel, etc. In order to ensure that all visitors can enjoy comfortable treatment, the government will focus on bolstering the current ecosystem related to medical and wellness tourism. This will be done by focusing on synergizing and creating linkages between these various service providers. This will also help boost secondary wellness tourism by easing access to India’s alternative treatments. The three key components under this pillar would be Medical Value Travel Facilitators (MVTF), Medical Service Providers (MSP), and wellness tourism operators. The government will invest in capacity-building and promotion for the same. 

Revamping of the MVT Portal 

The vision is to bring healthcare at the tap of a fingertip- across services and nations. The present portal will be updated to bring together the various service providers mentioned in the previous point under one umbrella and provide a one-stop solution for all the needs of an MVT. This will ensure easy browsing, effortless booking, and quick payments- making it a convenient & safe experience for a medical tourist in India. 

Accessibility focused reforms 

In order to make medical and wellness tourism in India more accessible globally, the government aims to adopt several reforms for the same. A liberalized VISA policy with features such as e-VISA issuance can ensure transparency and convenience to the MVTs. Lack of direct air connectivity can cause unnecessary journey breaks which may be uncomfortable for several patients. Better air connectivity to India can ensure convenience at every process step. MVT Lounges/ Assistance desks at airports to provide help with baggage, immigration, and additional information. 

Increased focus on wellness tourism 

Wellness tourism spans a variety of treatments such as preventive care, spa, fitness, beauty, etc. This allows multiple possibilities for businesses and providers. The authorities will focus on critical areas such as control, standardization, accreditation, and simplification in order to ensure quality for wellness tourists. Opportunities to enhance secondary wellness tourism will be encouraged by creating synergy between wellness service providers, tourism operators, and hospitality players.   

National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board  

In 2015, the Ministry of Tourism formed the National Medical & Wellness Tourism Board in order to further drive the growth of this sector. The board will look over a variety of functions to ensure a ‘patient-centric’ approach to the MVT industry. In particular, it will work toward delivering policy recommendations and suggestions and provide grievance redressal for industry stakeholders. It should assure the trust of medical value travelers by overseeing the functioning of service providers. It will be liable to award government incentives and penalize defaulting bodies. The current structure will be reorganized to facilitate three main committees, namely, the advisory, technical, and executive committees. The board will also work on all the five key pillars discussed above in order to promote medical and wellness tourism in India.  

Conclusion 

Medical and Wellness Tourism is a promising sector that lies at the intersection of two of the fastest-growing industries in the world- healthcare and tourism. This is why it is an exciting area to invest in, especially in the post-COVID scenario. With India’s state-of-the-art facilities, world-class healthcare professionals, JCI-accredited hospitals, and much more, India is one of the top medical value travel destinations across the globe. There is a range of alternative treatments and experiences for medical value travellers in India. In light of the recent national strategy and roadmap launched for this sector by the ministry of tourism, the sector is expected to continue on its upward trend due to government initiatives like a revamped MVT portal, administrative changes, a dedicated board for medical and wellness tourism, etc. 

This has been co-authored by Muskan Hashmi and Devika Chawla.

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Tourism Minister virtually attends 5th National Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board meet

The national medical and wellness tourism board was formed to address impediments to the growth of medical tourism and to provide dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of medical tourism, wellness tourism, yoga and ayurveda tourism..

Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (Independent Charge) Prahlad Singh Patel virtually attended the fifth meeting of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board on Monday, informed a press release. The National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board was formed to address impediments to the growth of Medical Tourism and to provide dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical Tourism, Wellness Tourism and Yoga, Ayurveda Tourism and any other format of Indian system of medicine covered by Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH). Eminent doctors like Naresh Trehan of Medanta; Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS; Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman of Narayana Health are among members of the board.

During the meeting, Patel said this is the right time to promote yoga, Ayurveda which will be the need of the times for people. The tourism minister mentioned that India has 34 hospitals which are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) and 578 under the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH).

Patel remarked, “The number of hospitals under the international standards of JIC has to increase so that tourists have more hospitals to choose from. Under Ayushman Bharat, a lot of hospitals have been upgraded. So now they will be incorporated into NABH and their level is elevated to JIC levels, so that people coming to India for medical tourism have more options. In fact, even visas will be granted based on recommendations from these centres and hospitals.”

Patel added, “Medical and wellness tourism is rapidly growing. The Global Medical Tourism Market was worth $19.7 billion in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 18.8 percent to reach $46.6 billion by 2021 (Source: Services Export Promotion Council, Ministry of Commerce). Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share of around 40 percent of the global market.”

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The tourism minister pointed out that over 130 countries are competing for a piece of this global business, the release mentioned. The popular medical tourism destinations include India, Brunei, Cuba, Columbia, Hong Kong, Hungry, Jordan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and USA. It encompasses primarily and predominantly biomedical procedures, combined with travel and tourism.

He added that the total number of inward medical tourists doubled in a span of just three years in India. In 2017, around 22 per cent arrivals from West Asia were for medical purposes, followed by 15.7 percent from Africa, according to the Indian Tourism Statistics, 2018 report.

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• Minutes Of The 1st Meeting Of The National Medical & Wellness Tourism Board Held On 13th January 2016
• MINUTES OF MEETING

Ministry of Tourism Government of India

(Niche Tourism Division)

MINUTES OF THE 1ST MEETING OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL & WELLNESS TOURISM BOARD HELD ON 13TH JANUARY 2016 AT 12 NOON UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF HON’BLE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM & CULTURE WITH INDEPENDENT CHARGE AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR CIVIL AVIATION

          List of participants is at Annexure I.

1.       The Joint Secretary (Tourism) welcomed all members of the Board to its first Meeting of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board. Giving a brief introduction on the background, the Joint Secretary mentioned that India has world class health facilities and healthcare systems that include Ayurveda and Yoga which are a boon to the mankind of which the full potential has not been exploited as yet. These holistic healthcare systems also need to be showcased to the world in an organized manner and driven as an engine for growth. This is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. The idea of setting up the Board is to cover the entire spectrum from “Illness to Wellness” with the help of best minds in the Industry and also to formulate a cogent strategy to address quality, accreditation, medical insurance and marketing. Synergy needs to be created to develop this segment of Tourism. 

2.       The Chairman welcomed all the Board Members and stated that the Government of India has decided to give a boost to this sector and take it forward with the help of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board. He reiterated that in spite of having globally acclaimed medical and wellness systems, best of medical professionals, medical infrastructure and service providers we have not been able to promote and develop this niche segment of Tourism. This segment is especially driven by private sector and Government will act as a ‘Facilitator’. He assured that the suggestions that emerge out of today’s deliberations will be taken up in ‘Mission Mode’. He urged the members to discuss the strength and weaknesses of our resources and come up with concrete action plan. The Chairman opened the floor for discussions.

3.       Dr. Naresh Trehan, renowned Cardiovascular and Cardiothoracic Surgeon informed that India’s healthcare system has rapidly developed over the years; it is high quality treatment at affordable price. Comparing it with Medical Tourism being promoted by other neighboring nations, he added that traditionally India has been catering to the SAARC countries and has helped some of the SAARC nations to develop their own basic healthcare systems. While doing so, India has not only retained the edge but has also moved ahead in super specializations. Similarly, India has often been in the news for wrong reasons and those negative factors have also started getting neutralized. He also added that India has specifically to target three market segments namely SAARC countries, Middle East, Africa, CIS countries, and parts of South East Asia; thirdly Europe and America. However, he stressed that Africa and Middle East have started looking East particularly to India for affordable healthcare as the economic reality has enhanced the spending capacity of general public.

4.       The need of the hour is to tackle the uneven delivery system to prevent it from becoming an unorganized sector. Basically Government needs to make single point source for required information about accredited medical facilities (by NABH, JCI), approved travel service providers etc. We need to establish linkages between multiple agencies such as Government, Foreign Ministry, doctors, hospital owners, Travel Agents etc.

5.       Acharya Balkrishanji of Patanjali Yoga Ashram emphasized that one portal for information related to treatment of all recognized/accredited services be made available through Government site. This will help people to take a decision in regard to undertaking trip for emergency treatment and long term preventive treatment involving wellness services such as Ayurveda, Yoga etc. Govt. could consider classifying medical services on the lines of Hotel classifications.

6.       Dr. S. S. Aggarwal of Indian Medical Association (IMA) expressed his concern over inadequate medical infrastructure in the country and stressed the need for also mapping skilled manpower in the medical industry in the country. It was also indicated that the Government should keep in mind the needs of people traveling within India for medical facilities and treatment including Ayurveda, Yoga etc.

7.       Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, leading cardiac Surgeon, presented his views stating that India aggressively needs to market its medical potential. However, he emphasized that one of the major deterrent is the difficulties in procuring Medical Visa by a patient and that the Government authorities should have a fresh look to ease the procedure for obtaining Medical Visa to India including introducing of ‘Medical Visa on Arrival’. Similarly, the formality of registration for people travelling on Medical Visa with Foreigners Regional Registration Office may be reconsidered. In regard to upgrading of cutting edge skills, he suggested that the adoption of new medical procedures in the country should be made easier. Organ Transplant Act also needs to be looked into by the Government to ease procedures.

8.       Padmashri Dr. K. K. Aggarwal of IMA informed that the Government could Promote Medical and Wellness Tourism through IMA taking advantage of their global linkages. He suggested that the Medical Service providers may be advised to develop all inclusive packages which also address the complication Insurance charges. He added that issue of rehabilitation through Yoga and Ayurveda could be taken care of by all hospitals. Such facilities could also be termed as ‘Medical Tourism Friendly Facilities’. The service providers may be sensitized towards varied cultural practices of tourists. The Board may promote research by Medical professionals. Board may advise every major tourism related conference hosted India to include a session on Medical Tourism.

9.       Dr. Bhavdeep Singh, CEO Fortis Healthcare advised that certification is a must for building ‘Brand India’.

10.     Dr. P. M. Varrier of Kottakal Arya Vaidyashala, Kerala  stated that the  Ayurveda treatment may be brought under the ambit of Medical Treatment for obtaining Medical Visa. He suggested that the standardization and accreditation, protocol, masseurs training etc. of Ayurveda Treatment Centers is required to be introduced. Lack of insurance for Ayurveda treatment is also a deterrent for tourists to visit India for treatment.

11.     Dr. Vinay Agarwal, IMA suggested that the Board may facilitate participation of private sector in Medical conferences abroad.

12.     Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Vice Chancellor, S-VYAS suggested that the Board also focuses on people needing long term treatment for Non-Communicable diseases and lifestyle disorders which is on the rise. To arrive at an effective treatment based on common modality, protocol and SOPs, he highlighted the need to support a policy, based on analysis of results to find least side effects, evidence based, cost effective etc. from each of the systems to be highlighted. The tour operators may also develop Heritage Tour Packages to showcase India’s heritage and wisdom of ancient healing systems.

13.     Mr. Anas Abdul Wazid of Max Super Specialty Hospital indicated that the Board needs to create awareness about Indian medical facilities and systems with cost through an effective mechanism. The Board may also advise Government to take up Medical Tourism issues on bilateral platforms. 

14.     Mr. Jatin Walia, President of Association of Wellness, Ayurveda and Spas reiterated views opined earlier and added that evaluation of skilled manpower, accreditation, standardization and developing logo to promote standardized practices in Wellness centers, Spas etc.

15.     Dr. K. K. Kalra, CEO NABH, informed the Board that NABH has already Introduced accreditation program for Center for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. He added that the Wellness Sector is still unorganized and is a challenge to standardize the same. Board may look in to devising certification standards for Facilitators to avoid unethical practices. NABH is also aiming at introducing integrated accreditation of all the system under one roof.

16.     Dr. B. K. Rana, Deputy Director, QCI suggested that exclusive Print Media may be strongly explored to target high end medical Tourism to India. It was informed that the Foreign Insurance Companies do not recognize many hospitals in India and patients are refrained from getting treatment in India. Awareness needs to be created about NABH which is on par with JCI for accreditation of facilities in the country. He also apprised the members that Indian Healthcare Portal has already been launched by Government of India consisting of list of accredited hospitals, procedures available and rates for services offered.

17.     Mr. Subhash Goyal, President, IATO suggested that Medical Visa may be brought under E Visa ambit. The IATO members would be happy to develop special Medi-Tourism packages in support of promotion of Medical Tourism.

18.     Mr. Amitabh Devendra, Secretary General of FHRAI assured support of hospitality Industry to Medical tourists to give feel good experience to patients and their families by offering suitable packages.

19.     Mr. Yogesh Srivastava of PHDCCI assured their full support and cooperation to facilitate major medical and wellness events in India and also assist in disseminating knowledge among the public and to medical and wellness tourism industry personnel through educational programmes.  

20.     Mr Praveen Kumar Mittal of FICCI informed that there is need for having a Medical Facilitation Center before immigration at the airports. The Government may launch promotional campaign focusing on medical travel value. Similarly, the National Carrier may be advised to announce special fares for medical travel to India with incentives. It was pointed out that patients and families often stay in guest houses attached to the hospitals whichmay also be brought under the accreditation program.

21.     MEA representative informed that issues and suggestions related to Medical Visa have been noted for appropriate action.

22.     Mr. Jitendra Sharma, Joint Secretary (AYUSH) stated that Holistic Health Care is the order of the day and all hospitals should have holistic health care systems for which there need to be an integrated accreditation model. He also informed that there is a National Medicinal Plant Board which advises on developing Herbal gardens which are a major resource base of traditional medicines.

23.     The Chairman concluded the meeting with following remarks:

• The Board will have a single responsible body which is visible, accessible and through which the various medical systems which are interconnected can be reached by all
• The Board unanimously agrees that a dedicated and sustained campaign on Medical & Wellness Tourism in the source markets will result in substantially enhance medical tourist arrivals to the country which can be led only by Government interventions
• It also agreed on integrating the services under Ayurveda, Yoga and other systems
• The Government needs to address the issue of sensitization of service providers, particularly in the field of Wellness & Ayurveda
• Healthcare and wellness has become one of the largest sectors of India - both in terms of revenue and employment comprising hospitals, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, wellness, health insurance and medical tourism etc.
• The Indian healthcare sector is growing at a brisk pace due to its cost effectiveness, strengthening coverage, services and increasing expenditure by public as well private players. accredited facilities
• This Board will provide leadership of the Government within a framework of prudent and effective measures, thereby enabling promotion and positioning of India as a competent and credible medical and wellness tourism destination; and
• Based on the deliberations, he directed that three Sub-Committees would be constituted immediately to look into the issues such as (i) Regulatory including Visa; (ii) Accreditation of Hospitals and allied services and (iii) Marketing and Promotion.

      Meeting ended with thanks to the Chair.

Attachment 

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Medical Tourism: An Overview on the Cross-Border Care

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• Kanakavalli K. Kundury 6 , 7 ,
• K. C. Shylaja 6 , 8 ,
• Namitha 8 &
• H. Basavana Gowdappa 7 , 9  

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Advancements in the medical care technologies, increasing cost of care, demand and supply mismatch in healthcare services are few of the many contributing factors for the progressive growth of ‘Medical Tourism’ services worldwide. Along with medical care services, tourism packages are value-added services, as medical tourists will have the opportunity to visit the best tourist attractions in the destination country. As medical tourism services are comprehensive in nature, involving many stakeholders from medical and tourism industries, it is vital to understand the roles of each of the players in the industries. Thus, this book chapter focuses on explaining the concept of Medical Value Travel (MVT), factors influencing the medical tourism services, role of various stakeholders involved, along with possible concerns on the country of origin and destination while delivering the medical tourism services. Considering the significant role of regulatory affairs in offering these services, this book chapter also highlights the blueprint of India’s approach in upscaling the Medical Value Travel Services in the country.

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Joint Commission International

Medical value travel

National Accreditation Board for Hospitals

National Medical & Wellness Tourism Board

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United Kingdom

United States of America

United States Dollar

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Leaders, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research and thank them for providing us the opportunity and the resources required for drafting this book chapter. We extend our thanks to Dr. H. Basavana Gowdappa, Leader, Special Interest Group in Patient Care Management, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research for empowering us to take up this project. We thank our families for all their unconditional support in making this writing happen.

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Kanakavalli K. Kundury & K. C. Shylaja

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Kanakavalli K. Kundury & H. Basavana Gowdappa

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H. Basavana Gowdappa

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Kundury, K.K., Shylaja, K.C., Namitha, Gowdappa, H.B. (2024). Medical Tourism: An Overview on the Cross-Border Care. In: Chaudhary, B., Bhatia, D., Patel, M., Singh, S., Sharma, S. (eds) Medical Tourism in Developing Countries. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8909-6_1

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With an aim to improve medical tourism in country, Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism in 2022. The strategy has identified following key pillars for the development of medical value travel in the country:

• Develop a brand for India as a wellness destination
• Strengthen the ecosystem for medical and wellness tourism
• Enable digitalization by setting up Online Medical Value Travel (MVT) Portal
• Enhancement of accessibility for Medical Value Travel
• Promoting Wellness Tourism
• Governance and Institutional Framework

Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is coordinating with other Ministries viz Ministry of Home Affairs, Tourism, AYUSH, External Affairs, Civil Aviation, State Governments and other stakeholders to promote Medical Value Travel (MVT) in the country. An institutional approach in coordination with other Ministries like Ministry of Tourism, AYUSH, Home Affairs, External Affairs, Civil Aviation, State Governments and other relevant stakeholders is adopted for promotion of medical value travel. Several rounds of stakeholder consultations have been conducted with line Ministries, Hospitals, MVT facilitators, Insurance Companies and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) to identify the challenges and opportunities in the sector.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

HFW/ Update on improving medical tourism in the country /2h1 March 2023/4