Can consider visa on arrival for medical treatment: Goyal

New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said offering visa on arrival facilities for medical treatment can be considered to patients from countries such as the US.

The idea was floated in the CIIs annual health summit here.

“The idea about a visa on arrival is a good idea. We will pursue that…For many countries, we allow visa on arrival, we allow e-visas…both these can be considered let’s say for the United States, most of the European countries… not all by the way …for most of the countries where we have a fair amount of comfort and where detailed investigations or enquiries are not required,” Goyal said.

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He suggested the CII to work on the idea and share with the government.

“Off course one has to look at what will be the certifications and which are the countries for which we can allow that,” he added.

Goyal emphasised that India’s healthcare model must remain inclusive and equitable, saying, “we cannot have a chalk and cheese system where local citizens are deprived of quality healthcare while focusing only on international medical tourism.”

He suggested that hospitals could consider allowing up to 10 per cent of foreign patients, while contributing a portion of the revenue towards the Ayushman Bharat programme or CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities benefiting underprivileged sections.

Such a balanced model, he said, would ensure both inclusivity and growth.

The minister urged leading healthcare institutions to expand training programmes for nurses and caregivers to meet both domestic and international demand.

He also expressed openness to exploring policies that could enable NRI doctors to contribute to India’s healthcare ecosystem, subject to consultation with professional bodies such as the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

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