NEW DELHI: India’s booming medical tourism sector has been hit hard by the escalating war in West Asia, with overseas patient inflow dropping sharply in recent weeks due to travel disruptions and uncertainty.
Industry inputs indicate an average 30–40% decline in international patient footfall and medical tourism-linked revenues across major hubs such as Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana.
What is more worrying is that in the last two weeks, overseas patient flows have dropped by 50–75%, with a 75% fall in Middle East patient footfall reported in some healthcare chains across India.
"This means a 15–20% decline in monthly revenues, a 35% dip in some facilities, and a 30–40% decline in medical tourism-linked revenues in certain Delhi hospitals," said Dr Abhay Sinha, Director General, Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the mandate to facilitate global business opportunities for India's services sector.
Concerned about the long-term impact of the ongoing war, many hospital chains are now seeking new markets.
Industry insiders said hospitals are shifting their focus from the Middle East, which accounts for 18–30% of the international patient share, to regions such as Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Sri Lanka), Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius), and Central Asia.
Historically, Middle Eastern patients account for 18–30% of international business and have been most affected by flight cancellations, 15–25% higher airfares, and deferred elective procedures such as plastic surgery, geriatrics, orthopaedics, and fertility treatments.
“Initial impact was minimal due to pre-booked patients, but new registrations have dropped sharply,” Dr Sinha told this paper.
He said, however, that South India has seen milder effects (around 2–3%) due to alternative routes such as Ethiopian Airlines. “The decline represents deferred demand rather than cancelled demand, with critical cases continuing to travel,” he added.
According to Anil Vinayak, Group Chief Operating Officer, Fortis Healthcare Limited, international patient footfall in their hospitals has come to a halt. “If we compare the last 10 days of February with the first 10 days of March, the footfall of patients from the Middle East has dropped by 75%.”
He also said that the more significant impact would be seen in the coming months due to the decline in new patient arrivals from several key source countries.
“The situation remains highly uncertain, and the next few weeks will be critical in determining whether conditions stabilise and international travel begins to normalise across the affected regions,” he said.
Moreover, the conflict has also disrupted patients who travelled regularly for consultations every three to six months.
Dr Dharminder Nagar, Managing Director, Paras Health and co-chair, FICCI Healthcare Committee, said, “Patients who earlier travelled every 3–6 months for specialities like cardiology, oncology, transplants and orthopaedics are currently unable to visit due to flight disruptions, visa delays and travel uncertainty.”
Sonam Garg Sharma, Founder and CEO of Medical Linkers, a leading medical tourism facilitator that connects international patients with India’s hospitals and doctors, said, “With flight schedules becoming uncertain, route diversions increasing, and travel costs rising, many patients are postponing non-urgent procedures.”
“Since the current slowdown is largely driven by uncertainty, not lack of medical need, communication-led confidence building can help unlock deferred demand once conditions improve. What we are seeing right now is a temporary dip driven by travel disruption, not a long-term fall in healthcare demand,” she added.
In the midst of the war, patients have been severely affected.
A 58-year-old Iraqi scheduled for a complex cardiac procedure has had the procedure postponed indefinitely, while a Yemeni breast cancer patient due for her third chemotherapy cycle is now managing with limited local facilities.
“Both have shared their distress with us over calls,” Dr Nagar said.
As international patients are unable to travel to India, most consultations have now shifted online.
“While video consultation ensures continuity, it cannot replace physical procedures or advanced diagnostics. We are already seeing cases where treatments are being delayed due to this disruption,” Dr Nagar added.
Experts said this phase should be seen as a pause rather than a reversal.
“Much like the post-pandemic recovery, the sector is expected to bounce back once uncertainty reduces. India’s long-term strength in medical tourism has never been defined by cost and clinical expertise alone, but also by the confidence, continuity, and comfort it offers patients through the treatment journey,” Sharma told this paper.
Looking ahead, the industry’s trajectory will depend on how quickly travel stabilises, alternative hubs emerge, and airlines resume smoother operations.