The ‘Heal in India’ Campaign and the Cracks in India’s Medical Tourism Ecosystem

Summary

The case study explores the campaign ‘Heal in India’, a national campaign aiming to make India a top world-class medical and wellness tourism hub. The case situates the campaign in the Ritchie and Crouch Destination Competitiveness Framework, which includes the various strategic pillars of the campaign: medical visa facilitation, medical packages, Medical Value Travel (MVT) portal, etc. India has huge comparative advantages like world-class hospitals, low cost of treatments, large population of English-speaking medical staff and a long-standing tradition of alternative healing systems, like Ayurveda and Yoga, which are in practice, but such strengths have not yet been transformed into a trusted and competitive brand for the country as a treatment destination. An eye-washing fire tragedy at a licensed Bed and Breakfast in New Delhi on 3rd June 2026 is another stark reminder of the need for reform and reflection. International medical tourists and patient caretakers were among the 21 people who died in the accident. The tragedy is traced back to fire safety non-compliance and gross breaches of occupancy standards, revealing an underlying ground floor regulatory regime that influences tourists’ experiences. Based on descriptive research design, the study presents a list of major risks identified for the attraction of medical tourists and recommends actionable steps in the areas of regulatory enforcement, stakeholder integration and destination governance.