Telangana moves to establish state Medical Tourism Society and Hyderabad MVT hub

Telangana Tourism organised a roundtable bringing together senior representatives from government and industry to deliberate on the institutional role, governance structure and long-term direction of the proposed Telangana State Medical Tourism Society (TGMTS). The discussion also examined a framework for establishing an integrated Medical Value Tourism (MVT) hub in Hyderabad. The initiative aims to position Telangana as a destination for structured and coordinated medical tourism.

The first session focused on industry expectations from TGMTS as the proposed central coordinating body for Medical Value Tourism in Telangana. The discussion examined the role of TGMTS in stakeholder alignment, facilitation, governance and sectoral coordination. Participants highlighted Hyderabad’s clinical outcomes, healthcare infrastructure, cost structures and healthcare-hospitality-aviation ecosystem. They discussed the creation of a Telangana Medical Tourism Society to drive policy, global branding, international outreach, ethical self-regulation and industry representation. The framework discussed included grievance redressal mechanisms, familiarisation programmes for global delegates and a licensing system for facilitators to maintain ethical practices and patient experience standards.

The second session involved deliberations on a framework for establishing an integrated MVT Hub in Hyderabad, proposed as one of the five national MVT hubs outlined in the Union Budget. The group discussed a greenfield medical city hub to be developed under a public-private partnership model with participation from hospitals, wellness providers, ayurveda institutes, medical colleges, research centres and tourism facilitation services. A recommendation paper will be prepared.

India’s medical value travel sector is expanding under the Heal in India initiative. Industry estimates place the market at USD 20.4 billion by 2026 and USD 25–28 billion by 2030, driven by global demand, visa facilitation and integrated care delivery.

Delhi and Chennai have led the sector, while Hyderabad has ranked among India’s top three medical value travel destinations. International patient inflows to Hyderabad have more than doubled over the past decade. The city has more than 50 NABH- and JCI-accredited hospitals, approximately 12,000 hospital beds, tertiary-care services, accommodation facilities and connectivity through Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, which handles over 31 million passengers annually.

Kranthi, Managing Director, Telangana Tourism Development Corporation and Chairperson of the roundtable discussion, said, “Hyderabad stands institutionally and operationally ready to scale as a globally trusted medical value tourism destination. With our integrated healthcare-hospitality-aviation ecosystem and clinical excellence, we are poised to lead as one of India’s five Regional Medical Value Tourism Hubs under the Union Budget 2026 vision.”

Shaaz Mehmood, industry expert and founder, Medijourn, and Moderator of the roundtable discussion, said, “Hyderabad’s advanced infrastructure, cost competitiveness, and integrated ecosystem make it ideally positioned as one of India’s five Regional Medical Value Tourism Hubs. The proposed Telangana Medical Tourism Society will be at the forefront for policy advocacy, and enable joint international outreach.”