Lok Sabha Question No. 3649 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Dedicated Medical Tourism Policy
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Krishna Pal Singh Yadav, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, Aparupa  Poddar, Rita Bahuguna Joshi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3649 ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## DEDICATED MEDICAL TOURISM POLICY

3649.DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

DR. HEENA GAVIT:

DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

SHRIMATI APARUPA PODDAR:

PROF. RITA BAHUGUNA JOSHI:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) the number and details of medical tourists that come to India annually and details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has any plan to launch a dedicated medical tourism policy to expand the medical tourism sector;
- (c) the plans to include alternative sources of medicines such as Ayurveda,  yoga  and  naturopathy  into  the  ambit  of  medical tourism; and
- (d) the  steps  being  taken,  if  any,  to  eliminate  the  presence  of middlemen in the medical tourism sector to streamline it?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM                        (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a): The  detail  of  Foreign  Tourist  Arrivals  (FTAs)  in  India  on medical purpose during 2017 to 2021 is given below:

|   Year |   FTAs on Medical purpose |
|--------|---------------------------|
|   2017 |                    495056 |
|   2018 |                    640798 |
|   2019 |                    697453 |
|   2020 |                    182945 |
|   2021 |                    303526 |

Source: Bureau of Immigration

Further, the country-wise details of FTAs in India on medical purpose  from  Top  50  countries  during  2017  to  2021  are  given  at

Annexure.

(b),  (c)  &  (d):  In  order  to  boost  Medical  Tourism  in  the  country, Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism. The Strategy also lays emphasis  to  include  alternative  sources  of  medicines  such  as Ayurveda,  Yoga,  Unani,  Siddha  and  Homeopath  (AYUSH)  into  the ambit of medical tourism.  The Strategy has identified the following key pillars:

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

Ministry  of  Tourism  also  provides  financial  Assistance  under Tourism Service Providers accredited by NABH for participation in Medical/ Conferences,

Market Development Assistance Scheme to Medical Tourism Fairs, Medical Conferences, Wellness Wellness Fairs and allied Road Shows.

Further, in order to provide dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical Tourism including Indian  system  of  medicine  covered  by  Ayurveda,  Yoga,  Unani, has constituted a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board with the Hon'ble Minister (Tourism) as its Chairman.  As per the nature of the

Siddha and Homeopath (AYUSH), Ministry of Tourism complaint, the same is redressed by the competent authority.

To ease the foreign tourist inflow for medical tourism in India, Government  of  India  has  introduced  'Medical  Visa'  which  can  be given for specific purpose to foreign travellers coming to India for medical treatment. 'E- Medical Visa' and 'E-Medical Attendant Visa'

have also been introduced.

*********

ANNEXURE

STATEMENT IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3649 ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022 REGARDING DEDICATED MEDICAL TOURISM POLICY

Country-wise  Foreign  Tourist  Arrivals  in  India  on  Medical  purpose from Top 50 Countries (based on 2019 data) during 2017-2021

|   Sr. No. | Nationality          |   2017 |   2018 |   2019 |   2020 |   2021 |
|-----------|----------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
|         1 | BANGLADESH           | 221751 | 322567 | 401228 |  99155 | 186633 |
|         2 | IRAQ                 |  47640 |  59258 |  56310 |  16647 |  15357 |
|         3 | MALDIVES             |  45355 |  13595 |  50978 |  11055 |  22798 |
|         4 | AFGHANISTAN          |  55681 |  46811 |  33004 |  16185 |  19556 |
|         5 | OMAN                 |  28157 |  27528 |  22393 |   4328 |   7610 |
|         6 | YEMEN                |  11903 |  11859 |  16671 |   4111 |   4612 |
|         7 | SUDAN                |   6908 |   8673 |   8908 |   2763 |   3908 |
|         8 | KENYA                |   7496 |   8037 |   7841 |   2041 |   3423 |
|         9 | NIGERIA              |   5530 |   5660 |   6999 |   2028 |   2914 |
|        10 | TANZANIA             |   5047 |   5236 |   5192 |   1637 |   2194 |
|        11 | SAUDI ARABIA         |   4782 |   4927 |   5077 |    557 |    148 |
|        12 | SRI LANKA            |   4436 |   6653 |   4062 |    796 |    885 |
|        13 | MYANMAR              |   1791 |   2329 |   4043 |   1264 |   1709 |
|        14 | MAURITIUS            |   1682 |   2647 |   3527 |   1099 |   1112 |
|        15 | BAHRAIN              |   1130 |   1458 |   1799 |    380 |    370 |
|        16 | PAKISTAN             |   1785 |   1607 |   1376 |    296 |    554 |
|        17 | UNITED STATES        |    649 |  16744 |   1203 |    401 |   1950 |
|        18 | UNITED KINGDOM       |    755 |  10680 |   1089 |    348 |    694 |
|        19 | NEPAL                |    453 |  11429 |    710 |    431 |    242 |
|        20 | TURKEY               |     86 |    777 |    644 |    107 |    166 |
|        21 | CANADA               |    312 |   3179 |    500 |    190 |    270 |
|        22 | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |    508 |    987 |    484 |    208 |    742 |
|        23 | PHILIPPINES          |    304 |   1796 |    477 |    325 |    322 |
|        24 | KAZAKHSTAN           |    367 |    410 |    427 |    114 |    226 |
|        25 | AUSTRALIA            |    198 |   3026 |    370 |    102 |    106 |
|        26 | MALAYSIA             |    441 |   1482 |    338 |     82 |    176 |
|        27 | SOUTH AFRICA         |    141 |    564 |    323 |     70 |    160 |

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| 28   | RUSSIAN FEDERATION   |    299 |   1344 |    306 |     82 |    445 |
|------|----------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 29   | FRANCE               |     97 |   1185 |    282 |     95 |    178 |
| 30   | EGYPT                |    248 |    593 |    270 |     63 |     57 |
| 31   | INDONESIA            |    249 |    623 |    254 |     71 |     76 |
| 32   | GERMANY              |    109 |   1285 |    215 |     54 |    315 |
| 33   | NEW ZEALAND          |     91 |    640 |    144 |     35 |      7 |
| 34   | CHINA                |     35 |    784 |    131 |     17 |      4 |
| 35   | NETHERLANDS          |     85 |    643 |    129 |     75 |    182 |
| 36   | ITALY                |     41 |    796 |    115 |     26 |     64 |
| 37   | UKRAINE              |    112 |    398 |    107 |     25 |    228 |
| 38   | IRAN                 |    108 |    249 |     88 |     15 |     35 |
| 39   | NORWAY               |     57 |    180 |     87 |     14 |     40 |
| 40   | SWITZERLAND          |     60 |    345 |     83 |     19 |    175 |
| 41   | SWEDEN               |     44 |    174 |     75 |     15 |     60 |
| 42   | SINGAPORE            |     44 |   2197 |     64 |     16 |     19 |
| 43   | BELGIUM              |     31 |    328 |     55 |      8 |     35 |
| 44   | THAILAND             |     21 |    768 |     33 |     13 |      6 |
| 45   | AUSTRIA              |     17 |    287 |     32 |     18 |     31 |
| 46   | IRELAND              |     20 |    441 |     32 |      9 |     42 |
| 47   | DENMARK              |     27 |    115 |     31 |      7 |     29 |
| 48   | JAPAN                |     27 |    654 |     31 |      5 |      8 |
| 49   | FINLAND              |      8 |    125 |     28 |      8 |     22 |
| 50   | ISRAEL               |     11 |    211 |     21 |     10 |     65 |
|      | Others               |  37927 |  46514 |  58867 |  15525 |  22566 |
|      | TOTAL                | 495056 | 640798 | 697453 | 182945 | 303526 |

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