Flight disruptions and visa rules hamper India's medical tourism recovery
Business
India's massive nearly $9 billion medical tourism sector is having a tough time bouncing back, thanks to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
While hospitals are slowly seeing more interest from international patients, flight disruptions and tricky visa rules are making it hard for many to actually get here.
Hospitals report West Asia patient drop
West Asia has been a big source of patients for India, but since tensions spiked in February 2026, numbers have dropped sharply.
Fortis Healthcare (which gets about 30% of its international business from this region) and others like Max Healthcare and HealthCare Global have reported declines in patient arrivals.
If the turmoil drags on, rising costs and currency swings could make things even tougher for these hospitals.