Cross-border patient volumes reached over 2.3 million international arrivals in 2024, cementing the country’s position as the world’s leading medical tourism destination, offering treatment cost savings of 60 to 90 percent compared to the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia across more than 60 JCI-accredited hospitals. The sector proved genuinely resilient through FY26, with listed hospital chains including Fortis Healthcare, Max Healthcare, Medanta, and Apollo Hospitals reporting rising medical value tourism revenues even as geopolitical instability in West Asia and diplomatic tensions with Bangladesh, previously the source of roughly 75 percent of medical tourists, forced hospitals to diversify aggressively into new source markets across Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Alongside the hospital chains themselves, a distinct ecosystem of specialised medical tourism facilitation companies has emerged to guide international patients through hospital selection, visa assistance, accommodation, and end-to-end care coordination. Let us have a look at the top 10 medical tourism companies operating in 2026.
1. Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited
Apollo Hospitals, the country’s largest hospital chain with 73 hospitals and over 8,000 operational beds as of Q2 FY26 filings, reported FY25 revenue of Rs 21,794 crore, the clear leader in total scale supported by its pharmacy and diagnostics businesses alongside core hospital operations. The chain reported growing international patient arrivals from West Asia and Southeast Asia in FY26 even as Bangladesh-based volumes declined, reflecting a deliberate strategy of diversifying its medical value tourism source markets.
Apollo Hospitals serves international patients across cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, and organ transplant specialities with its unmatched scale and pan-India hospital network, and its position as the largest and most diversified Indian hospital group makes it the anchor institution around which most medical tourism facilitation companies build their treatment recommendations.
2. Fortis Healthcare Limited
Fortis Healthcare, a pan-India hospital chain of 28 hospitals under Malaysian conglomerate IHH Healthcare, recorded an 18.5 percent year-on-year increase in medical value tourism revenue, rising from Rs 539 crore in FY25 to Rs 639 crore in FY26, despite a temporary dip in international patient footfalls during the onset of West Asia conflict disruptions in March 2026. The chain successfully diversified its patient inflows toward Iraq, Uzbekistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Uganda, demonstrating resilient demand for cardiac surgeries, oncology treatments, transplants, and orthopaedic procedures.
Fortis Healthcare serves international patients seeking complex tertiary and quaternary care with strong specialisation in cardiac, oncology, and transplant medicine, and its demonstrated ability to rapidly diversify source markets amid geopolitical disruption confirms its position as one of the most resilient and strategically agile hospital groups within the medical tourism ecosystem.
3. Max Healthcare Institute Limited
Max Healthcare, the fastest-growing hospital chain in North India with a dominant Delhi-NCR presence and 20 hospitals totalling 3,454 beds as of FY25, reported significant FY26 growth in oncology, robotic surgery, and organ transplant volumes, supported by enhanced infrastructure and improving capacity utilisation. Despite operating fewer beds than Apollo, Max Healthcare commands the highest average revenue per occupied bed among listed hospital chains at Rs 2.84 crore, reflecting its focus on complex, high-value international cases.
Max Healthcare serves international patients seeking advanced oncology, robotic surgery, and transplant care primarily through its concentrated Delhi-NCR hospital network, and its industry-leading revenue per bed metric confirms that efficiency and case complexity, rather than sheer scale, are driving its outsized market valuation and reputation among discerning medical tourists.
4. Medanta – The Medicity
Medanta, founded by renowned cardiac surgeon Dr. Naresh Trehan and headquartered in Gurugram, has built a global reputation for advanced multi-speciality care, appearing consistently alongside Apollo, Fortis, and Max as one of the leading institutions driving India’s medical value tourism performance through cardiac surgery, oncology, transplants, and neurology. The hospital continues to see rising international inflows for advanced treatments even amid broader regional disruptions affecting patient travel.
Medanta serves international patients requiring advanced cardiac, oncology, and transplant procedures with a globally recognised multi-speciality care model, and its consistent inclusion among the country’s top-performing medical value tourism institutions confirms its status as one of the most medically respected treatment destinations for complex international cases.
5. Vaidam Health
Vaidam Health, headquartered in Gurugram and NABH accredited with ISO 27001 certification, has built one of the most internationally visible Indian medical tourism facilitation brands, assisting patients from over 60 countries through a multilingual team supporting Arabic, French, Russian, and Spanish alongside comprehensive treatment planning, hospital selection, visa assistance, and post-treatment follow-up. The company’s partnerships span leading hospitals including Medanta, Artemis, and Fortis, offering services across cardiology, orthopaedics, oncology, and cosmetic surgery.
Vaidam Health serves international patients across more than 60 countries with digitally driven, NABH-accredited treatment coordination and hospital matching, and its strong online authority combined with genuine certification credentials makes it one of the most visible and trusted facilitators for patients researching treatment options independently before travel.
6. IndiCure
IndiCure, with more than a decade to nearly two decades of operating history, has built long-standing relationships with major hospital chains including Apollo, Fortis, and Max Healthcare, primarily serving patients in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru with particular expertise in cosmetic surgery for clients from Europe, Australia, and North America, alongside dental tourism and critical care coordination. The company has facilitated treatment for over 25,000 international patients through its established, reliability-focused service model.
IndiCure serves Western international patients seeking cosmetic surgery, dental treatment, and critical care coordination with nearly two decades of accumulated hospital relationship depth, and its specific expertise in serving European, Australian, and North American clients distinguishes it from facilitators more heavily weighted toward Middle Eastern and African patient volumes.
7. MediJourney (Ferns N Petals)
MediJourney, an initiative launched by the well-known consumer brand Ferns N Petals, has built collaborations with over 1,500 doctors and affiliations spanning more than 300 hospitals globally, including Fortis, Apollo, and Medanta, offering treatments across 30-plus specialities including cardiology, oncology, eye surgery, and IVF. Headquartered in Delhi, the company has expanded its international presence to Bangladesh and Dubai as part of its strategy to promote the country as the preferred destination for medical treatment.
MediJourney serves international patients across an unusually broad range of medical specialities through its extensive doctor and hospital affiliate network, and its backing by an established consumer brand combined with international office expansion into Bangladesh and Dubai gives it a distinctive commercial scale among dedicated medical tourism facilitation companies.
8. Shifam Health
Shifam Health has positioned itself around a structured, ethical medical tourism framework that emphasises personalised clinical evaluation and coordination rather than a marketplace-style listing model, matching each patient to the most appropriate hospital and specialist based on medical reports, treatment goals, budget, and travel considerations. The company serves patients from the UK, USA, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia through dedicated international case managers who provide continuous support throughout the treatment journey.
Shifam Health serves international patients seeking a personalised, ethically structured treatment coordination experience rather than high-volume case processing, and its emphasis on long-term trust and dedicated case management over transactional facilitation makes it a distinctive choice for patients and families prioritising sustained support throughout an often overwhelming healthcare journey.
9. Forerunners Healthcare
Forerunners Healthcare, one of the country’s oldest and most established medical tourism companies with over 16 years of operating experience, has served more than 30,000 international patients through long-standing partnerships with premier hospitals across multiple cities. The company’s extensive track record and comprehensive treatment packages have built a strong reputation for reliability among patients researching established, proven facilitators.
Forerunners Healthcare serves international patients seeking a facilitator with a long, proven operating history and comprehensive treatment packages, and its 16-plus years of experience and 30,000-plus patient track record make it one of the most established and battle-tested medical tourism companies for patients who prioritise longevity and proven reliability over newer, digitally native alternatives.
10. MedMonks
MedMonks operates as a digital-first medical travel platform, leveraging online cost comparison tools, hospital databases, and free initial virtual consultations to attract and serve international patients seeking accessible, transparently priced treatment options. The company has built strong visibility through online marketing and educational healthcare content, functioning for many hospital partners as a significant digital referral channel supported by international search visibility.
MedMonks serves cost-conscious international patients who prefer researching and comparing treatment options digitally before committing to a facilitator, and its technology-forward, comparison-driven platform model makes it one of the more accessible entry points for patients beginning their medical tourism research online rather than through direct hospital or facilitator referrals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Which hospital chain leads the country’s medical value tourism revenue?
A: Apollo Hospitals leads by total scale and revenue with 73 hospitals and over 8,000 beds generating Rs 21,794 crore in FY25 revenue, while Fortis Healthcare posted the strongest reported year-on-year medical value tourism revenue growth in FY26 at 18.5 percent, rising from Rs 539 crore to Rs 639 crore, and Max Healthcare leads on efficiency with the highest revenue per occupied bed among listed chains.
Q: How much can international patients save by choosing treatment in the country?
A: International patients typically save between 60 and 90 percent on medical procedures compared to costs in the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia, without compromising on care quality, given the presence of more than 60 JCI-accredited hospitals staffed by specialists often trained at institutions including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and the Mayo Clinic.
Q: Why did Bangladesh’s share of medical tourists decline, and how did hospitals respond?
A: Prior to 2024, roughly 75 percent of medical tourists came from Bangladesh, but bilateral tensions through 2025 led to a sharp decline in that source market, prompting major hospital chains including Fortis and Apollo to actively diversify into new international markets across Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States to offset the drop.
Q: What is the difference between a hospital chain and a medical tourism facilitator?
A: Hospital chains such as Apollo, Fortis, Max Healthcare, and Medanta directly provide clinical treatment and surgical care, while medical tourism facilitators such as Vaidam Health, IndiCure, and MediJourney act as intermediaries that help international patients select the right hospital and specialist, and coordinate visas, accommodation, travel, and post-treatment follow-up around that clinical care.
Q: What accreditations should patients look for when choosing a hospital or facilitator?
A: Patients are generally advised to check for JCI accreditation at the hospital level, which signals adherence to international patient safety and quality standards, and NABH accreditation or ISO 27001 certification at the facilitator level, which indicates structured care coordination processes and secure handling of sensitive medical records and patient information.
