Medical Treatment in India: Where Patients Come From and What They Need

By Shashank

India recorded 507,244 arrivals for medical treatment in 2025¹. Almost two in three came from Bangladesh, followed by Iraq, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Oman and Kenya¹.

For a family, choosing a hospital is only part of the decision. There are reports to send, costs to work out and travel documents to prepare. Someone also has to plan the care after the patient goes home. This study looks at where patients come from, then at each of these steps.

Where do patients travel from?

These seven countries made up about 81% of India's medical arrivals in 2025¹. We worked out the share from the government's own figures.

The 2025 total was lower than in 2024, when India recorded 644,387 arrivals for medical treatment⁴. These figures count arrivals. They do not count operations or results, and they do not say which treatment each nationality received¹.

Countries also differ in how patients reach India. Some patients are referred and paid for by their own government²³. Others travel on their own. That difference changes what a family needs to check first.

What do patients from each country need?

Bangladesh

A survey asked 388 patients and relatives at the Indian visa centre in Chittagong, between January and March 2022⁵. Heart treatment was the most common need, at about 14%, or 1 in 7. Cancer came next at 13%, then stomach and digestive problems at 11%⁵. The survey covered one visa centre and the people the researchers could reach there, so it describes them rather than every Bangladeshi patient⁵.

Paperwork comes before tickets. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka asks for your local medical records and proof that you can pay⁶. You also need an appointment letter from a recognised Indian hospital⁶. The High Commission may ask for more documents⁶.

A good first step is to send your reports for a specialist's opinion. Ask what the first visit should achieve. Then find out three things: whether you need an interpreter, where a relative will stay, and whether treatment may need more than one visit.

Iraq

Iraq has a referral link with Indian hospitals. The Indian Embassy in Baghdad says that a number of Indian hospitals are on the Iraqi Ministry of Health's panel². The embassy does not say which treatments these patients receive². Iraq is not on India's e-Visa list¹⁶.

If the government is paying, first confirm which hospital is approved and exactly what the approval covers. If you are paying yourself, ask the hospital for a written proposal. It should set out the diagnosis, the treatment options, how long it may take and the charges. Either way, settle the interpreter, the place to stay and the care after discharge before you travel. More on travelling from Iraq.

Uzbekistan

India and Uzbekistan work together on medical care inside Uzbekistan too. In December 2025, the Indian Embassy in Tashkent reported free outpatient camps run by Indian hospitals in Uzbekistan, in heart care, cancer and neurology⁷. It also described specialist treatment in Uzbekistan supported by Indian doctors⁷. These activities show where the two countries cooperate.

Uzbek patients can use India's e-Medical visa¹⁶. The steps for patients from Uzbekistan are on our Uzbekistan page. For a regular medical visa through the embassy, it asks for your local medical documents and a letter from your local doctor⁸. You also need an invitation from a recognised Indian hospital, with your details and the proposed treatment⁸. Before the trip, have your reports reviewed and translated where needed. Ask whether some tests can be done closer to home.

Somalia

Somali patients can apply through the Indian High Commission in Nairobi, and visas are also issued in Addis Ababa⁹. The Nairobi advisory names these documents⁹:

• a referral from a local doctor;
• an invitation from an Indian hospital that shows the expected length and cost of treatment;
• proof of funds;
• a yellow-fever vaccination certificate;
• a Kenyan residence permit or arrival stamp.

The advisory explains appointments and handing in the application in person. In some critical cases, a blood relative who will travel as the medical attendant can hand in the application for the patient⁹. Emergency appointments are limited⁹. Check which route applies to you before you travel to a visa centre.

The government figures do not show which treatments Somali patients receive most¹. So ask which hospital and which specialist suit this illness.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is one of the main source countries, but the government figures do not say which specialties these patients need¹.

Start with the diagnosis and the reports you already have. Before agreeing to travel, ask why treatment abroad is advised and what the other options are. Ask whether someone must come with the patient, and who will handle the follow-up at home.

Oman

Oman gives a clearer picture of specialist referrals. A study published in 2025 looked at 1,428 government-funded patients sent abroad from public hospitals in 2022 and 2023³. About 82% of them went to India³. In the India group, the main fields were eye care, cancer, neurology, blood disorders and heart care³. The study covers these referred patients only, not every Omani treated abroad³.

Oman's Consulate General in Mumbai advises patients to get an official letter and invitation from the hospital¹⁰. It should state the treatment plan, the expected duration and the estimated costs¹⁰. The consulate's advice is direct¹⁰:

"It is preferable to communicate directly with accredited hospitals … without an intermediary" (a middleman).

"Beware of dealing with intermediaries such as medical coordination offices that are not licensed by the Ministry of Health, taxi owners, translators, medical treatment brokers …"

"Beware of people who promote hospitals … through social media and internet sites."

"Do not transfer money to intermediaries and unknown persons."

The consulate says such intermediaries can take a commission ranging from 30 to 40%¹⁰. Whoever helps you, get the estimate and the invitation letter from the hospital itself, and pay the hospital directly.

Patients pay hospitals directly. Lazuren charges patients no fee.

More on travelling from Oman.

Kenya

Cancer care is one documented reason Kenyans travel to India. A study compared 80 Kenyan cancer patients first treated in India with 174 treated in Kenya¹¹. The choice of India was linked to a doctor's advice, advice from family or friends, and the view that care was better there¹¹. Income and the time since diagnosis also played a part¹¹. The study does not show how many Kenyan medical travellers need cancer care, or whether going abroad gave better results¹¹.

For cancer care, ask the hospital which reports it needs first, for example the biopsy report and scans, and what the treatment plan would be. Ask how many visits may be needed and what the estimate includes. Ask whether part of the treatment can continue with a doctor at home. The plan should cover the whole course of care. More on travelling from Kenya.

Maldives

Maldivian patients can be treated in India through Husnuvaa Aasandha, the national health scheme¹². It refers patients to approved hospitals in India and Sri Lanka when a service is not available in the Maldives¹².

The scheme needs a specialist's recommendation and supporting medical documents¹². A patient who needs oxygen, a stretcher or similar help may also need a Medi-form so the airline can approve the journey¹². Confirm the approval, the receiving hospital and the travel arrangements before you leave. A trip you arrange privately may not have the same cover.

Which treatments do patients come for?

The government lists heart surgery, orthopaedics, cancer care, organ transplants and neurology among India's medical travel services¹. Dental and fertility care are on the list too¹. The country evidence above is narrower. It shows a mix of treatments among surveyed Bangladeshi patients⁵, cancer care from Kenya¹¹ and several specialties in Oman's referral programme³.

These findings help organise information, but they should not decide one person's care. For heart surgery, ask the hospital how urgent the operation is and whether the patient can fly. For a joint replacement, ask about the rehabilitation as well as the operation. For cancer, ask how the whole course will be given and checked.

Transplants need particular care. Indian law sets rules for foreign patients, and a hospital panel called the Authorisation Committee approves each case¹³¹⁴:

Lazuren does not find or arrange organ donors. For foreign patients, Indian law generally requires a related living donor, and each case needs approval from the Authorisation Committee. Your embassy must certify the donor–recipient relationship. Buying or selling organs is a crime; we do not pay or deal with donors. The hospital and the Authorisation Committee alone decide.

What can make the trip harder?

A hospital appointment alone is not enough. A family also needs a budget that works, the right documents and a plan for recovery.

Understanding the full cost

The US CDC advises checking the total cost, your insurance, and how follow-up care or complications would be paid for¹⁵. Ask the hospital for an estimate that lists each charge. Then add accommodation, meals, local transport, a relative's expenses and the chance of a longer stay.

Read what the estimate leaves out as closely as the price. Ask what happens if more tests are needed, the treatment changes or discharge is delayed.

Getting the documents right

India has medical visas for patients and medical attendant visas for the people who come with them¹⁶. Up to two attendants can travel with one patient on e-Visas¹⁶. Not every nationality can use the e-Visa; Iraq, for example, is not on the list¹⁶. Check the rules for your own nationality. Advice given to a patient from another country may not apply to you.

Before you book anything you cannot cancel, confirm the hospital letter and the other documents your application needs. If the treatment or the dates change, tell the hospital.

The Government of India decides visa applications. We do not issue visas and cannot guarantee approval.

Choosing the hospital and doctor

The CDC advises patients to check the qualifications of the hospital and the doctor¹⁵¹⁷. It also says that accreditation does not guarantee a good result¹⁷. Check the actual hospital branch and the treating specialist as well as the group's name.

Ask who will do the procedure and who will see the patient after discharge. Ask where to get help if a problem comes up. Clear answers to these questions tell you more than any advertising.

Allowing time to recover

Surgery and long periods without moving can raise the risk of blood clots, and so can a long flight¹⁵. Ask the treating team when it is safe to fly home. Let the return date follow the patient's recovery.

Ask the team whether the patient will need a wheelchair, help during the journey or someone travelling with them. Leave room for a check-up or a longer stay.

Continuing care at home

Safe follow-up depends on sharing medical records and arranging care after the patient returns¹⁵¹⁷. Before leaving India, ask for the discharge summary, test results, prescriptions and instructions for the next check-up.

There should be a named contact for questions, and a local doctor who knows what treatment was given. The family should also know which symptoms need urgent care rather than a routine call.

Before you decide

Start with the medical reports, not the flight. Ask for a specialist's assessment, a written explanation of the proposed treatment and an estimate that says what it includes.

Compare the options at home and abroad. Travel to India when it fits the patient's needs, the expected benefit and their ability to finish treatment and follow-up.

About this study

This study brings together government arrival figures, official referral and visa guidance, and published patient studies. It covers the seven source countries in the government's 2025 overview¹. It adds the Maldives for its documented Aasandha referral scheme¹².

The patient studies cover different years and selected groups. They are not a current survey of what every country's patients need⁵¹¹³. We checked every reference on 11 November 2026.

Lazuren is a hospital comparison and estimate service, not a healthcare provider or a travel agent. Information on this site is general and is not medical advice. Prices are indicative and outcomes cannot be guaranteed.