Planning treatment in India: the week in review

Planning treatment in India comes down to a few steps in the right order. Send your reports for a specialist review first. Ask for the hospital letter after that review. Apply for the e-Medical visa at least 4 days before arrival. Choose up to two attendants. Read the estimate for its assumptions. Build the trip around the treating team’s plan.

Why should the reports come before the visa?

A hospital can only give a meaningful admission date once its specialist has seen your case. So start with what your doctor at home already has: a short summary of the problem, recent test results with dates, imaging reports and the scan files, any biopsy report and a list of current medicines. A review from abroad is an early opinion that helps you plan. The treating specialist still needs to examine the patient in person before any final decision.

Our guide to second opinions from India lists which reports to send and how to name and order the files.

What does the e-Medical visa need from the hospital?

The official e-Visa portal asks for a copy of a letter from the hospital in India on its letterhead, together with a scan of the passport bio page. The portal’s FAQ says the letter includes the tentative date of admission or treatment. Check that the name on the letter matches the passport exactly.

• Apply at least 4 days before arrival, within a window of 120 days
• The portal describes the visa as valid for one year (365 days) from arrival, with multiple entries
• An older FAQ answer on the same portal still says 60 days, so confirm on the day you apply
• An e-Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible
• Biometric details are captured at immigration on arrival

Who can travel with the patient?

The portal states that only two e-Medical Attendant visas are granted against one e-Medical visa. Each attendant applies separately with a scan of their own passport bio page. Submit the patient’s and the attendants’ applications together so the dates line up.

Choose for reliability, not seniority. A good attendant can stay for the whole trip, keeps papers in order and speaks up politely when something is unclear. Our article on the medical attendant covers the role in more detail.

What should patients from Bangladesh check first?

Bangladesh is on the list of countries eligible for India’s e-Visa, and Kolkata is one of the designated airports. Check the entry point carefully. The portal’s FAQ says e-Visa holders may enter only through the designated airports and seaports. If you plan to travel by road or rail, confirm your route with the official portal or the High Commission of India before you book.

To check a hospital’s accreditation, the NABH website has a directory you can filter by state and city. NABH notes that data migration is ongoing and some information may be temporarily incomplete. Ask the hospital for its current certificate as well.

How should a cost estimate be read?

An estimate from an Indian hospital is a plan, not a bill. Ask whether it is a package or itemised. Ask how many days in hospital and intensive care it assumes, which room category, and what it leaves out. Ask how you will be told if the expected cost rises.

On 12 October 2026 the Union Health Secretary wrote to the Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories. The letter asked that clinical establishments display the rates for each service and facility at a conspicuous place, in the local language and in English. Where the Clinical Establishments Act applies, its 2012 Central Government Rules already require this. A displayed rate list is a useful cross-check against your estimate.

How do you plan a trip around major surgery?

Think in three parts: the days before the operation, the hospital stay and the recovery before you fly home. The treating team sets each part. Ask for the planned timeline in writing. Book a return ticket you can change. Stay close to the hospital after discharge. Carry home the discharge summary, a full medicine list and the follow-up plan, and arrange the first appointment with your doctor at home before you fly back.

If you are starting to plan treatment in India, send your reports for a free case review. Your case manager will help you take each step in the right order.