CHENNAI: Medical value travel is emerging as a strategic pillar of India’s international engagement, positioning healthcare not just as a service export but as an instrument of diplomacy, trust-building and long-term cooperation. This theme took centre stage at the eighth edition of Advantage Health Care – India 2026, where senior ministers, policymakers and industry leaders outlined how India’s healthcare transformation is being leveraged to deepen global relationships.
"India’s healthcare journey has been defined by comprehensive reforms aimed at building a resilient, high-quality and globally aligned health system," said Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, JP Nadda at the event.
He emphasised that the government is consciously strengthening the ecosystem that supports medical value travel by improving coordination across ministries, regulators, accreditation bodies and state governments, signalling that healthcare is now being treated as a cross-sector national priority rather than a siloed activity.
Nadda underlined that medical travel today goes far beyond cost arbitrage. In India’s case, it is being positioned as a channel of cooperation that builds confidence between nations and strengthens people-to-people ties. According to him, medical value travel reflects India’s clinical depth, adherence to international standards, transparent governance frameworks and an increasingly patient-centric model of care. He highlighted that India’s highly skilled medical professionals and modern infrastructure are delivering advanced treatments across complex specialties such as cardiology, oncology, organ transplantation, orthopaedics and neurosciences, reinforcing the country’s credibility as a global healthcare partner.
Adding a broader strategic perspective, Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Minister of State for AYUSH, said healthcare is no longer confined within national borders and is increasingly shaped by collaboration, technology and shared responsibility. He noted that India’s healthcare ecosystem has evolved into an integrated model that combines advanced clinical capabilities, digital health innovation, pharmaceutical strength and institutions committed to global engagement. He also stressed the importance of integrating traditional systems with modern medicine, arguing that this blended approach reflects India’s vision of balancing innovation with tradition and treatment with prevention.
Industry leaders echoed the view that India’s medical value proposition has fundamentally shifted. Upasana Arora, Chairperson of the Services Export Promotion Council, said India is no longer seen only as an affordable destination but as one associated with high technology, advanced skills and holistic healing. She pointed to improvements in patient comfort, connectivity and facilitation, noting that India is now collectively positioning itself as a trusted and comprehensive healthcare partner rather than merely a low-cost option.
The evolution from medical tourism to medical value travel was a recurring theme. Raajiv Singhal, Chair of the FICCI Medical Value Travel Committee and Group CEO of Marengo Asia Healthcare, said the shift reflects a deeper understanding that healthcare must be built on trust and transparency. He argued that sustainable growth in medical value travel depends on creating a system where clinical outcomes, ethical standards and patient experience are as important as scale and pricing.
Reinforcing this integrated philosophy, Anupam Sibal, Co-Chair of the FICCI MVT Committee and Group Medical Director at Apollo Hospitals, said India offers a rare combination of Western medicine and Eastern wisdom. He expressed confidence that this integrated approach would help India emerge as the preferred destination for medical value travel over the next five years, particularly as global patients increasingly look for comprehensive and holistic care pathways.
From a policy and standards perspective, Narottam Puri highlighted the importance of accreditation, quality assurance and regulatory credibility in sustaining international trust. The session concluded with the opening of an exhibition showcasing India’s healthcare capabilities across hospitals, diagnostics, medical technologies, pharmaceuticals, wellness centres and allied services, underlining the breadth of the ecosystem supporting medical value travel.
The broader significance of medical value travel lies in its diplomatic and economic dimensions. By attracting international patients, India not only earns foreign exchange but also builds enduring relationships with countries whose citizens experience its healthcare system first-hand. This form of engagement creates soft power, strengthens institutional linkages and opens avenues for collaboration in research, education, pharmaceuticals and digital health. The announcement that the Medical Value Travel Awards 2026 will recognise excellence across hospitals, facilitators, AYUSH institutions and policymakers further reinforces the government’s intent to institutionalise and scale this segment.
As Advantage Health Care – India 2026 continues over three days, the focus remains on fostering patient mobility, knowledge exchange and institutional partnerships while strengthening regulatory coordination and global collaboration. Taken together, the discussions signal that medical value travel is no longer a peripheral opportunity but a strategic lever through which India aims to project its healthcare strengths, deepen international relationships and position itself as a reliable partner in building a resilient, inclusive and future-ready global healthcare ecosystem.