India’s leading hospital chains are relooking at their strategy as a slowdown in medical tourist arrivals from Bangladesh is pushing them to attract higher number of people from Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The sharp decline in Bangladeshi arrivals comes after visa-related restrictions, political tensions and reduced visa issuance between FY24 and FY26 weighed heavily on patient traffic.
While Bangladesh, the biggest source market for India, continues to remain the single-largest source market for Indian hospitals, operators said that steady growth in patient inflows from Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East is offsetting some of the impact.
“We have observed some moderation in patient volumes from Bangladesh,” said Ritu Garg, chief growth and innovation officer at Fortis Healthcare. “Bangladesh continues to be one of the key source markets for international patients seeking treatment at Fortis. Historically, it has contributed a significant share of our international patient volumes. Over the past few years, however, we have consciously diversified our international patient portfolio by expanding our outreach across different regions, resulting in a more balanced geographic mix today,” she said.
According to government data, Bangladesh accounted for nearly 75% of India’s medical tourists in 2024 (482,336 out of 644,387). In 2025, this number fell to 64% as arrivals went down to 325,127.
Navigating the Squeeze
The decline in Bangladeshi patient inflows has been particularly concerning for hospitals in Kolkata, Chennai and other major medical tourism hubs because these regions typically receive a higher share of overall patients.
Even though the latest data for 2026 medical-tourism figures are yet to be released, some chains report a pick up in arrivals from Bangladesh in the last 1-2 quarters.
“We saw some impact on patient flows during the period of travel and visa-related disruptions, but there has been a pickup in the last quarter. More broadly, we are seeing a much more diversified international patient portfolio, with growing interest from regions such as Africa and other emerging markets,” Apollo Hospitals’ spokesperson told FE.
“The dynamics of the Bangladesh market changed significantly during the past 18 months,” said Ankit Mehrotra, co-founder of medical facilitation platform The Medical Travel Company (TMTC). “Patients faced greater uncertainty around travel and longer decision-making timelines. However, visa services are gradually improving and patient mobility is beginning to normalise,” he noted.
Even as hospitals are expecting Bangladeshi market to recover gradually, they are increasingly diversifying their international patient base to reduce the dependence on a single geography.
New Frontier
The biggest growth is coming from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan where patients are seeking advanced tertiary care services in India, including oncology, cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, orthopaedics and complex neurosurgical procedures.
“We believe both Africa and the CIS region will continue to be strategic growth markets over the next 3-4 years. These regions have significant unmet demand for advanced specialty care, growing healthcare awareness, and increasing willingness to travel for high-quality treatment,” said Fortis Healthcare’s Garg.
Data showed that Uzbekistan ranked 5th overall as a source of medical tourists to India in 2024, with 8,921 arrivals — making it the highest among the 9-country CIS bloc. In 2025 also, Uzbekistan was leading among this region.
Being bullish on the CIS region, TMTC has been actively working with embassies, government bodies, and local healthcare partners to help build a more organised medical travel ecosystem. “Many patients have navigated the process independently, often leading to uncertainty around diagnosis, treatment plans, expected costs, and length of stay,” said TMTC’s Mehrotra. “During our recent discussions with the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Tashkent, there was significant interest in creating more structured pathways for patients seeking treatment in India.”
“Complex procedures in India cost a fraction of what these patients have to pay in Europe or Middle East. Moreover, direct flights from Central Asia and parts of Africa to key Indian metros have further improved patient access,” said a medical tourism expert.
Similarly, Africa has emerged as a major growth market for Indian hospitals with countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Zambia generating increased demand for specialised procedures.
According to industry estimates, patient volumes from Africa have grown at high-teen rates annually in the recent years, which is better than other regions.
“Manu patients who may traditionally have looked at destinations such as South Africa or Morocco are evaluating India for specialised care. They choose India because of the world-class clinical outcomes and shorter waiting times. We have already started investing in these markets by setting up information centers and building local partnerships to provide a physical presence within the community,” said Mehrotra.