Lok Sabha Question No. 30 (STARRED), answered on 2017-12-18
Subject: Promotion of Medical Tourism
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL, RAJIV PRATAP RUDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.†*30 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2017

## PROMOTION OF MEDICAL TOURISM

- †*30. SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL: SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether India is emerging as a popular destination for medical tourism and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether medical tourism in the country is projected to be a $9 billion opportunity by 2020 and if so, the details thereof along with the current achievement of medical tourism;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to bring out a new policy to promote India as a key destination for medical tourism and if so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the Government to ease the travel processes and promote medical tourism;
- (d) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  integrate  AYUSH streams therein and set up medical facilitation centres/medical hubs to cater to the medical tourists and if so, the  details  thereof  along  with  the  names  of  the  cities  where these centres/medical hubs are likely to be set up, State/UTwise; and
- (e) the  details  of  the  number  of  foreign  tourists  who  visited  the country for health/medical tourism along with the revenue and employment generated therefrom during each of the last three years and the current year?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI K. J. ALPHONS)

(a)  to (e):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. ********

## STATEMENT IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA QUESTION NO.†*30 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2017 ON PROMOTION OF MEDICAL TOURISM.

- (a) & (b): Yes,  Madam.  India  has  emerged  as  a  major  Medical Tourism  destination.  Ministry  of  Commerce  informs  that  as  per  a FICCI-IMS  Knowledge  Paper  titled,  'Medical  Value  travel  in  India: Enhancing  value  in  MVT',  published  in  2016,  India  is  amongst  the top  6  MVT  (Medical  Value  Travel)  destinations  of  the  world  which include  Thailand,  Singapore,  India,  Malaysia,  Taiwan  and  Mexico (India ranked third in the world in 2015). It is further informed that as  per  the  above  report,  through  adequate  focus  and  effective execution, Indian Medical Value Travel, pegged at 3 billion USD in 2015, can be a 9 billion USD opportunity by 2020.
- (c): Ministry  of  Tourism  has  recognised  Medical  and  Wellness Tourism  as  Niche  Tourism  Product  for  promotion.  The  Ministry offers  financial  support  as  Marketing  Development  Assistance,  for Publicity, and for organising Wellness and Medical Tourism Promotion shows as well as workshop/events/seminars to accredited  Medical  and  Wellness  Tourism  Service  Providers  and Chambers of Commerce, etc. A film on Medical Tourism has been produced  in  association  with  BBC  and  is  used  at  various  fora  for promotional purposes. Medical and Medical attendant visa has been introduced  to  ease  the  travel  process  of Medical  Tourists.  The  etourist visa regime has also been expanded to include medical visits as well.

The Department of Commerce and Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) have launched a Healthcare Portal www.indiahealthcaretourism.com, as a single source platform providing  comprehensive  information  to  medical  travellers  on  the top healthcare institutions in the country. This portal is available in English, Arabic, Russian and French.

(d): A  National  Medical  and  Wellness  Tourism  Board  has  been constituted to provide a dedicated institutional framework to take forward  the  cause  of  promotion  of  Medical  and  Wellness  Tourism including  Ayurveda  and  any  other  format  of  Indian  system  of medicine covered by Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH). The Board works as an umbrella organization to  promote  this  segment  of  tourism  in  an  organized  manner  and therefore  integrates  AYUSH  streams  into  the  purview  of  Medical Tourism.  There  are  no  schemes  in  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  for setting  up  of  medical  facilitation  centres/medical  hubs  to  cater  to medical tourists. However, it has been decided to set up facilitation counters at the major airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru for tourists arriving on Medical Visas.

(e): As  per  information  maintained  in  the  Ministry  of  Tourism, following are the foreign tourist arrivals in India for medical purpose during 2014 to 2016:

| Year   | Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs)   |
|--------|-----------------------------------|
| 2014   | 1,84,298                          |
| 2015   | 2,33,918                          |
| 2016 * | 4,27,014                          |

*: estimated on the basis of 7.4 million records in respect of which information on visa type was available.

The  Ministry  of  Tourism  does  not  compile  information  on employment generated and revenue earned through medical tourism.

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