India poised to become the world's leading destination for affordable, high-quality healthcare and medical value tourism, says Piyush Goyal

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal, while addressing the 22nd CII Annual Health Summit in New Delhi, pointed out that Indias healthcare sector has benefitted from the Governments continued focus on affordabilitysuch as reducing GST on health and life insurance from 18 per cent to 0 per cent, and lowering duties on medical devices, cancer care drugs and several essential medicines to make treatments more accessible and affordable for citizens. Goyal said that the Government is open to exploring further reductions in duties or cesses on essential medicines and medical products to ensure that more medicines are available at affordable prices.

Goyal added that all such collective effortsby the Government, medical professionals, and the healthcare industrywill cumulatively help in serving the people of India better and in positioning the country as a preferred global destination for medical treatment and wellness. The Minister also spoke about the success of Jan Aushadhi Kendras, which have crossed the 10,000 mark, providing affordable generic medicines and sanitary products at nominal prices. He said such interventions have greatly improved healthcare access for rural and economically weaker citizens, ensuring affordability at the grassroots level.

He emphasised that Indias healthcare model must remain inclusive and equitable, saying that we cannot have a chalk and cheese system where local citizens are deprived of quality healthcare while focusing only on international medical tourism. He stressed that a strong domestic healthcare foundation is essential for India to emerge as a preferred global hub for medical value travel. Concluding his address, Shri Goyal said that Indias healthcare advantage lies in its perfect blend of modern medicine, traditional wellness, and compassionate care. He suggested that Heal in India should also integrate Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, and spiritual tourism to present India as a holistic wellness destination.

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