Government introduces a new category of Ayush visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Indian systems of medicine

Source: The post is based on the article “Government introduces a new category of Ayush visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Indian systems of medicine”  published in PIB on 2nd August 2023.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has notified the creation of a new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals for treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine.

Ayush Visa for Foreign Nationals:

In 2022, the Prime Minister had announced the creation of a special Ayush Visa category to facilitate foreign nationals’ travel to India for Ayush therapy. 

This move is also part of the Heal in India initiative aimed at promoting India as a medical value travel destination. 

The Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare are working together to develop a one-stop Heal in India portal for promoting India as a world-class medical tourism destination. 

Medical Tourism in India: 

Medical Value Travel(MVT) has seen significant growth in India in recent years. 

According to the report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond COVID’ by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the Global Wellness economy will grow at 9.9% annually. Ayush based healthcare & Wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.

India is clearly poised for a greater share of the MVT pie. In the MTA’s Medical Tourism Index (MIT) India is ranked 10th out of the 46 global destinations, 12th in 20 wellness tourism markets, and 5th in the wellness tourism market in Asia Pacific. 

According to the data from the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), approximately 6,97,453 medical tourists visited India in 2019 alone for medical treatment and by 2023, India is expected to account for 6% of the global MVT market share.