Brit saves thousands on advanced implant treatment in India; X post fuels debate on medical tourism

An X user's post about a British patient's experience receiving treatment in India has struck a chord online, drawing attention to the country's affordable, high-quality medical care.

In his post, the user, Ankit Kedia, says he mostly lives in Dubai and Singapore and meets people from different countries. He shared the experience on X. "I mostly live in Dubai and Singapore, so I meet people from different countries. One thing I've noticed is how good and affordable medical treatment in India can be," he wrote.

He goes on to write about a 51-year-old Brit who travelled to India for treatment involving advanced implants. "The same treatment would have cost him around £40,000 privately in the UK," Kedia wrote, adding that the patient and his wife were “very happy with the experience.”

"Good doctors, modern hospitals…"

Kedia said this wasn't an isolated case. "I know many people who come to India for medical treatment because they can get good doctors, modern hospitals and quick treatment at a much lower cost," the user wrote.

He also pointed to the scale of India's growing medical tourism sector, writing that the market "is also growing fast and is expected to cross $22 billion by 2031."

Reflecting on the broader narrative around India, Kedia added, “We talk a lot about what is wrong with India, but healthcare is one area where India is very strong.”

The post has garnered over 11,200 views and drawn a wide range of reactions from users online.

Internet reacts

The announcement sparked a wave of online reactions, with users weighing in on India’s healthcare costs and medical tourism.

A user wrote, "It's wealth arbitrage. Once country becomes rich it will go away. Basically all services in India are cheep. This arbitrage is the reason we provide: IT services, BPO services, back office. Tourism is the only missing service that is due to bad hospitality infra [sic]."

Another user commented, "Only for the super rich in India. Public Health care is still well below standard in India as a fact of the matter [sic]."

"India is the home to medical tourism," the third wrote.

"Affordable it is for them they spend dollars that why. Here we are drained like anything. That why insurance is growing like west.. we need to reduce health cost at any cost [sic]," the fourth commented.

"Then you will be shocked to know that the cost for certain procedures in Dubai and Thailand are cheaper than these hospitals in Mumbai and Gurgaon [sic]," the fifth commented.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)