India’s state-of-the-art healthcare at affordable prices has attracted patients from across the world over the last few decades, but the travel disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia are creating new challenges, both for patients unable to fly to India to avail treatment and for the medical tourism industry which is facing the slowdown of a significant market.

At Delhi’s Fortis Healthcare, for instance, there has been a drop in the number of patients coming from West Asia, according to the group’s chief operating officer Anil Vinayak. Since the conflict broke out, there has been a decline of more than 30% in international footfall across all Fortis hospitals, he noted. This is especially significant in light of the fact that West Asia is a large contributor, amounting to nearly a third of all international business at Fortis, Mr. Vinayak said.

During the initial days of the conflict, the impact was minimal, as several patients had already travelled to India. Gradually, however, the numbers have dipped significantly. “If we compare the last 10 days of February with the first 10 days of March, the footfall of patients from the Middle East has dropped by 75%,” he said.

Aashish Chaudhry, managing director of Aakash Healthcare in Delhi, pointed out that airspace restrictions, flight rerouting, and rising travel uncertainties are directly influencing patient mobility, both for those seeking treatment in India and for Indian patients who traditionally travelled to destinations such as Dubai and other regional hubs for specialised care.

South India less affected

The disruptions have been relatively less in southern India. Chennai’s Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC), for instance, sees a significant footfall of overseas patients. “We get patients from SAARC nations, Europe, Middle East, and from a good number of African nations. Patients from West Asian countries account for a fair share. Among them, Oman and the UAE account for the highest share,” says Karan Puri, chief executive officer, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Teynampet and APCC, Taramani, Chennai. 

Mr. Puri said that while there has not been much of an impact yet, as overseas patient flow has remained the same, if the situation turns from bad to worse, then there might be a dip. “We do get a decent number of patients for bone marrow transplantation from Oman. We haven’t seen any issues yet,” Mr. Puri said.

In Hyderabad too, patient numbers are down, but not by much. Sameer Agrawal, deputy general manager for international business at Apollo Hospitals, said there has been a marginal decline of about 2% to 3% in the number of patients arriving from West Asia as part of its overall international patient volume. “However, this has been mitigated partly due to direct connectivity to Hyderabad via Ethiopian airlines, which is still functioning and no tickets getting cancelled. The patients who travel with Emirates and Qatar are definitely affected,” he said.

Mohammed Farouk, chief operating officer of Rela Hospital in Chennai, said that there has been very minimal and short-term disruptions. “Take Oman for instance. The government funds patients starting with their travel, treatment, and accommodation. A few of them were supposed to arrive when the war broke. After this, the Oman government rescheduled their flights to another date in March,” he said.

Rela Hospital receives international patients from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Middle East and Africa. Most of the overseas patients seek high end cancer care and organ transplants at the hospital, he added. “Patients from Oman are streaming through, and business has not been affected too much. The elective treatments were minimally affected but are slowly coming up. It is the ease of travel that has been affected but we do not anticipate a long-term issue at this point in time,” Mr. Farouk said.

Flight disruptions

For patients, flight cancellations and restrictions have created havoc. There are currently no flights from Iraq at all, Mr. Vinayak noted. Flights from the rest of West Asia have also declined sharply due to air space issues. “Although there is no direct flight-related issue with Africa or other parts of the world, flight costs have surged and patients are fearful to travel currently,” he said.

Mr. Agarwal said that international patients were facing issues as only Ethiopian Airlines was flying directly to West Asia from Hyderabad. As a result, some patients have been unable to return to their home countries on time, leading to visa-related complications. While certain Indian embassies have provided concessions for visa extensions, the additional costs are placing a financial strain on patients who are eager to return home, he added.

Revenue impact

For the current month, the overall revenue impact on international medical tourism may be about 15% to 20%, Mr. Vinayak said. However, a more significant impact may be seen in the coming months due to the decline in new patient arrivals from several key source countries, he added.

Mr. Agarwal noted that patient footfall typically declines during the month of Ramzan, thereby masking the full extent of the impact. A clearer trend is expected to emerge in the following months.

Long-term preference shift

In the short term, there may be logistical challenges, but Dr. Chaudhry pointed out that there is also a simultaneous shift in preference. Many patients who would earlier transit through or seek treatment in West Asian medical hubs are now evaluating India as a stable, accessible, and clinically advanced alternative, he said.

“India’s strong tertiary care infrastructure, cost advantage and policy support through streamlined medical visas position the country to absorb this current shift responsibly. However, it also underscores the importance of strengthening the ‘Heal in India’ vision, expanding direct air connectivity to Africa and Central Asia, and enhancing coordinated facilitation between healthcare providers, aviation authorities, and foreign missions,” Dr. Chaudhry said.

(With inputs from Bindu Shajan Perappadan in Delhi, Siddharth Kumar Singh in Hyderabad, and Serena Josephine M. in Chennai)

Published – March 17, 2026 07:35 pm IST