- Why in news
- On 2 May 2026, PIB published a note on Medical and Wellness Tourism. It lists India's 2025 medical arrivals, the AYUSH Visa, and the Union Budget 2026-27 plan for five Regional Medical Hubs.
- What it is
- Medical Value Travel (MVT) means foreign patients travelling to India for treatment or wellness care. It has two parts: medical tourism (curative care) and wellness tourism (preventive care through Yoga, Ayurveda and other AYUSH systems). The Heal in India initiative and the Ministry of Tourism's national strategy and roadmap support it.
- AYUSH Visa
- A dedicated AYUSH Visa was introduced on 27 July 2023 for foreigners and their attendants seeking treatment under recognised AYUSH systems.
- NMWTB
- The National Medical & Wellness Tourism Promotion Board was set up by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015. The Union Tourism Minister chairs it.
- Quality standards
- NABH accredits Indian hospitals. BIS has adopted ISO 22525 on medical wellness tourism services.
- e-Medical Visa reach
- The e-Medical Visa and e-Medical Attendant Visa are available to nationals of 172 countries.
Don’t confuse with Medical tourism vs wellness tourism: Medical tourism is curative care such as surgery and transplants. Wellness tourism is preventive and holistic care through Yoga, Ayurveda and similar systems.
Don’t confuse with NABH vs JCI: NABH is India's national hospital accreditation body, linked to ISQua. JCI is an international accreditation that some Indian hospitals also hold.
Economy terms and data: 42 Prelims questions since 2013, rising in recent years; they test what a term or instrument means. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- Earns foreign exchange and creates jobs for doctors, allied health workers and tourism staff.
- Builds soft power by promoting Yoga and Ayurveda.
Problems
- Providers are concentrated in southern and western States and a few cities.
- Quality and trust need standardisation, including registration and rating of MVT facilitators.
Way forward
- Build the Regional Medical Hubs and expand NABH accreditation to wellness centres and dental clinics.
- Register and rate MVT facilitators, and extend the digital portal and airport concierge services.
Put in your answer
Market size: Industry estimates put India's medical tourism market at about USD 8.7 billion in 2025, projected to reach USD 16.2 billion by 2030.
AYUSH insurance: About 27 insurers offer more than 140 products covering AYUSH treatment under IRDAI rules.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting topic on services and health policy, but mostly market estimates and no single provision to test; economy questions need a clear term or rule.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.