Iran–Israel-US conflict disrupts travel, fewer foreign patients coming to India

Hospitals say geopolitical uncertainty, disrupted air routes and rising travel costs are already affecting international patient inflow, which is a key revenue stream for many tertiary care hospitals across the country.

India's thriving medical tourism industry is beginning to feel the ripple effects of the ongoing tensions in West Asia, as hospitals are reporting a slight decline in patient arrivals from parts of the region.

Hospitals say geopolitical uncertainty, disrupted air routes and rising travel costs are already affecting international patient inflow, which is a key revenue stream for many tertiary care hospitals across the country.

According to Fortis Healthcare, the decline has been visible among patients travelling from the Middle East, traditionally one of the largest contributors to India’s medical value travel sector.

Anil Vinayak, Group Chief Operating Officer of Fortis Healthcare Limited, noted that international patient arrivals have dropped sharply since the conflict escalated.

“Ever since the war broke out, there has been a decline of more than 30% in international footfall across all the cities. The Middle East is a large contributor (around 30%) of international business at Fortis. In the initial 2–3 days, the impact was minimal as we had patients who had already travelled to India. But gradually the numbers have gone down significantly," Anil Vinayak said.

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 added.

FLIGHTS DISRUPTED, TRAVEL FEARS RISING

Hospitals say logistical challenges are compounding the situation. Several air routes have been affected due to airspace restrictions, while flight costs have surged.

Anil Vinayak added that the impact is already beginning to reflect in hospital revenues. “For the current month, the overall revenue impact on international medical tourism may be approximately 15–20%. However, more significant impact would be seen in the coming months due to the decline in new patient arrivals from several key source countries," he said.

RECOVERY MAY TAKE MONTHS

Given the uncertainty of the situation, the next few weeks will be crucial in determining whether conditions stabilise and international travel begins to recover.

"After major disruptions, medical tourism typically takes 2–3 months to rebound as patients regain confidence and travel logistics normalise,” Vinayak said.

MIXED IMPACT ACROSS HOSPITAL CHAINS

Not all hospital networks are seeing immediate disruption. An official spokesperson from Apollo Hospitals said the impact on certain aspects of healthcare operations remains limited so far.

“Medical value travel continues to contribute steadily to our business. Bangladesh remains a key source of international patients, and is expected to grow. While the patient flow from Africa could be impacted due to travel restrictions, we expect this impact to be short-term in nature," an Apollo spokesperson said.

INDIA AS A GLOBAL MEDICAL TOURISM HUB

At the same time, Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, Managing Director, Aakash Healthcare, said that India is also seeing a simultaneous shift in preference as many patients who would earlier transit through or seek treatment in Middle Eastern medical hubs are now evaluating India as a stable, accessible and clinically advanced alternative.

While geopolitical instability may temporarily disrupt traditional medical tourism corridors, it also reinforces India’s strategic role as a dependable healthcare destination.

"With the right policy support and infrastructure alignment, India can not only mitigate the impact but emerge stronger as a preferred global medical value travel hub," he said.

As the current situation shows, the medical sector remains closely tied to global mobility and geopolitical stability.

With air routes disrupted and travel anxieties rising, hospitals say the coming months will determine whether the slowdown remains temporary or evolves into a broader challenge for India’s medical tourism industry.

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