The term "medical tourism" describes travel-related activities where a foreign tourist stays at least one night at the destination in order to be rejuvenated, restored, or maintained in good health. The affordability of care abroad, the provider's cultural background, the shared language, and particular procedures unavailable in the patient's home country are the main factors influencing people's decisions to travel for medical treatment. Geographically and culturally diverse, India is a country where great minds have changed both the country and how the rest of the world views it. People travel to India from all over the world for a variety of reasons.

India can offer affordable, high-quality medical and health services. The following are some of India's primary advantages:

• India is home to some of the best medical experts in every sector, including Alternative therapists.

• The treatment's price is considerably lower than that in the source markets.

• There are no waiting periods for any of the many medical procedures; modern medical facilities, reasonably priced accommodation

• Health care providers and, most importantly, governmental regulations Eastern Healthcare Wisdom coupled with the knowledge of Western Medicine.

• Growing appeal of India as a tourist destination in the West.

Others travel for commercial purposes, but the majority travel for leisure and medical care. About 88 percent of all foreign patients visiting India come from Bangladesh, Iraq, Maldives, Afghanistan, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, with Bangladesh accounting for 54% of them on its own.

With its world-class hospital infrastructure, highly sophisticated medical equipment, expert skills, compliance with international quality standards, and lower cost compared to many other nations, India is one of the global leaders in health care. India is one of the most popular locations for international patients because of its low cost of care, plenty of highly qualified English-speaking physicians, and cutting-edge diagnostic tools, among other factors. For plastic surgery, organ transplant procedures, cancer therapy, and other procedures, patients from all over the world travel to India. India can offer cost reductions of up to 65-90 percent, which is considerable for patients compared to the United States, Australia, Singapore, or the United Kingdom. The most popular Medical Value Travel or MVT destinations in India are Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. For patients from low- and middle-income (LMIC) nations like Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Nigeria who are price-sensitive, Kolkata is essential.

A total of 2 million people from 78 different nations travel to India each year for medical, wellness, and IVF procedures, bringing in $6 billion for the industry, which is anticipated to reach INR 2,670.37 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 34.92% between 2023 and 2027. India is ranked 10th overall out of 46 locations in the MTA's Medical Tourism Index (MIT), 12th out of 20 wellness tourism markets, and 5th in the APAC wellness tourism market.

According to Ayush Minister SarbanandaSonowal, India is working on boosting Ayush treatment, which includes indigenous medicine and related treatment modalities. The Ayush Ministry was established in 2014 and is in charge of fostering traditional medical systems in India through research, education, and dissemination. The medicinal systems practiced in India, including Ayurveda, Yoga, Panchakarma, Rejuvenation Therapy, etc., are some of the oldest in the world. For foreign visitors to India seeking treatment using Ayush methods, the government has been working to promote traditional medicines. To collaborate on the development of MVT in Ayurveda and other conventional systems of medicine, the Ayush Ministry and the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) of the tourism ministry inked a memorandum of understanding earlier this year. Due to a combination of factors, including pent-up demand, the rising expense of healthcare in the West due to inflation, and the Russia-Ukraine war, MVT is predicted to experience a significant increase in India in 2023. Additionally, MVT in the wellness sector, which has recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic, is anticipated to be fuelled by government measures under the "Heal in India" scheme, including the accreditation of Ayush centers and the introduction of Ayush e-visa. Also, 40 healthcare facilities with Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation and 1400 hospitals with NABH accreditation, which offer high-quality care, underpin India's MVT industry. Although there is a need to address healthcare infrastructure generally, MVT accounts for roughly 10% of the revenues of many large hospital chains and may increase to 12% to 15% in the next years. Since India is one of the most popular MVT destinations, more policy support is required to promote MVT in India and grow MVT as an organized industry.

India is one of the top worldwide destinations for people seeking sophisticated medical care, with MVT worth USD 5–6 billion and 500000 international patients each year. More than 560 million medical tourists spent 16.3 billion USD in India in 2016. Among the Asia Pacific nations that give health a priority, it comes in third. With an emphasis on the curative components of healthcare and the use of traditional medicine, wellness, Ayurveda, yoga, and wellness, the Indian economy might grow by an additional $9 billion by 2026. After the COVID setback in 2020, it is predicted that India's medical tourism will exceed USD 13 billion. The Union Government has begun the "Heal in India" campaign to promote Indian medical infrastructure and services abroad, with objectives to standardize procedures and treatment plans for overseas nationals.  Over the projection period of 2021–2028, the global MVT market is anticipated to expand from $13.98 billion in 2021 to $53.51 billion in 2028, at a CAGR of 21.1 percent. The Medical Tourism Association (MTA) estimates that approximately 14 million people worldwide travel abroad each year for medical care. India is undoubtedly ready to take a bigger piece of the MVT action. Data from the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) show that 6,97,453 medical tourists received treatment in India in 2019 alone, and by 2023, India is predicted to hold 6% of the worldwide MVT market share.

With the "Heal in India" program to support MVT with a "One Step" site for the convenience and ease of credible information for overseas patients, the government is going in that direction. With the introduction of medical visas, also known as "Ayush Visas," the site provides a variety of services to international patients, including simple airport coordination, access to the patient's documentation, answering questions, etc. It is anticipated that these facilities will increase the flow of foreign patients. A thorough National Strategy for Medical Value Travel and Wellness Tourism has been established to boost the development of MVT and wellness tourism in India and preserve the nation's competitive advantage. 37 hospitals, including 30 in the commercial sector, have been recognized as part of the Heal in India project for encouraging medical value travel throughout 17 cities and 12 states.