The National Medical & Wellness Tourism Promotion Board will draft a medical and wellness tourism policy for India. Will submit the draft policy to the government in the next three months.
The Ministry of Tourism has asked the National Medical & Wellness Tourism Promotion Board to draft the Medical & Wellness Tourism Policy for India.
The board will discuss the framework with various stakeholders and industry associations and submit the draft policy to the government in the next three months.
Two TV commercials commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism to promote Indian advantages in medical and wellness tourism will be screened soon.
The development and promotion of tourism is the responsibility of the State Government so the Ministry of Tourism is responsible for promotional activities such as campaigns in the international and domestic markets, including the promotion of medical tourism.
The National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board is the enabling body for the promotion of medical tourism, wellness tourism and Yoga, Ayurveda tourism and Indian medicine.
According to government data, the foreign tourists who visited India for medical purpose during 2012, 2013 and 2014 were 171,021, 236,898 and 184,298, respectively. Data for the year 2014 is of visa type by Nationality. Earlier data is of Nationality – wise FTAs by purpose of visit based on the information recorded on the disembarkation card.
According to tourism minister Mahesh Sharma, the latest revised figures for foreigners visiting India on medical visas are-
Others visit without a medical visa, and although these numbers are not known, the tightening up of the medical visa system means that fewer medical tourists get in on travel visas.
Recent initiatives accounting for the rise in numbers include a more liberalized visa regime, regulated medical tourism agents and more coordinated facilities in various states and cities. Many medical tourists seek cardiac and orthopaedic treatments, with more wanting oncology and transplants.
Government of India policy think-tank NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) has identified medical value travel as one of the major growth drivers and a major source of Forex earning- so wants the government to work out a roadmap to ensure significant growth by 2020.
To simplify and speed up the procedure of obtaining medical visas, the government has extended the e-Medical Visa. An extension of duration of stay for up to 6 months may be granted on case-to-case basis. Multiple entry is now allowed during a year. For emergencies, if a medical visa is recommended by an accredited hospital in India, Indian missions abroad must decide on that request within 48 hours of getting the application.
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