The Ministry of Home Affairs has recently notified the creation of a new visa category, Ayush Visa, for foreign nationals, who are keen to visit the country for medical treatment including therapeutic care, wellness and yoga in India.
A new chapter i.e. chapter 11A – Ayush Visa has been incorporated after Chapter 11 – Medical visa of the Visa Manual, which deals with treatment under the Indian systems of medicine and accordingly necessary amendments has been made in various chapters of the Visa Manual, 2019.
According to industry stakeholders, the introduction of this special visa will help in the growth of medical tourism in the country. Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “The creation of new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Ayush/Indian systems of medicine is a significant step. It will boost Medical Value Travel in India. This initiative will strengthen our endeavour to accomplish our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for making Indian traditional medicine a global phenomenon. I also want to compliment Amit Shah, Union Home Minister for his efforts in creating a special Ayush Visa category.”
It is pertinent to mention that Prime Minister Modi had announced a creation of a special Ayush Visa category for facilitating foreign nationals travel to India seeking Ayush therapy, at Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit (GAIIS) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in April 2022.
Introduction of Ayush Visa category is part of India’s roadmap for the Heal in India initiative of the government, which is intended at promoting India as a medical value travel destination. Ministry of Ayush and the ministry of Health & Family Welfare are working together to develop a one stop Heal in India portal to promote India as a Medical tourism destination of the world.
Medical Value Travel has seen significant growth in India in recent years. According to the report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond COVID’ by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the Global Wellness economy will grow at 9.9% annually. Ayush based healthcare & Wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.
Ministry of Ayush has been working on many fronts to promote Ayush system of treatment national and globally. Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India was signed to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.