Is South India’s Chennai Asia’s next big medical tourism hub?

Low cost, short waiting times, world-class infrastructure and skilled practitioners are some push factors for the city as a medical tourism hub

But some critics point out that Chennai’s push to cater to foreign patients has resulted in neglect of healthcare services especially for low-income Indians

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Medical staff participate in a demo of the interactive robot ‘Zafi’ that was deployed at Covid -19 isolation wards, at Stanley Medical hospital in Chennai. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:00pm, 21 Jan 2023

India is often known for Ayurvedic treatment, yoga and other alternative medicine but Chennai, the gateway to south India, has been gaining popularity as a global medical tourism hub with its cluster of world-class hospitals and medical expertise.

The state of Tamil Nadu, where Chennai is located, attracts about 40 per cent of the country’s medical tourists, according to the state’s former minister for tourism, Vellamandi N Natarajan, in 2019. Foreign patients from neighbouring countries, Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia visit the city for procedures and treatments such as cardiac bypass surgery, organ transplant, hip replacement, bone marrow transplant and eye surgeries.

“India and Chennai in particular are fast becoming a medical hub for international patients mainly because of the high quality medical facilities available at a fraction of the cost compared to the Western world,” said Chennai-based ophthalmologist Dr C Senthil Nathan.

Other factors for the popularity of the city as a medical hub include high success rates and short waiting times, he added.

Medical treatment in Chennai costs significantly less than in developed countries, about one-third of costs in those nations, particularly given India’s production and access to generic drugs. “This, combined with the city’s reputation for high-quality medical care, has made Chennai a popular destination for medical tourism,” said Dr Senthil Nathan.