Checklist
Before you book, ask the hospital to confirm five things in writing: its accreditation, who will treat you and what they propose, exactly what the estimate includes, what support you get as an international patient, and how follow-up and complications will be handled once you are home. Clear written answers protect you far more than a brochure does.
Public health agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom give the same core advice to people travelling for treatment. Research the facility and the clinicians. Understand what is included in the price. Plan how complications will be handled. Get your records before you leave. The UK’s TravelHealthPro adds that you should get a written agreement and speak directly to the treating professional before you travel. Use the questions below by email so the answers are on record. A good hospital will answer each one plainly. Vague replies are a signal to ask again or look elsewhere.
Is the hospital accredited and the doctor registered?
- Is the hospital currently accredited by NABH, JCI or both, and can you share the certificate number?
- Does the accreditation cover the department where I will be treated?
- What is the treating doctor’s full name and medical council registration number?
- Which State Medical Council is the doctor registered with?
- Is the hospital registered under the transplant or ART law, if my treatment needs it?
What exactly is being proposed?
- Has the specialist reviewed my actual reports and images, not only a summary?
- What procedure do you propose and why?
- What other options exist, including not having the procedure now?
- What further tests will be done after I arrive, and could they change the plan?
- Can I speak with the treating specialist by video before I travel?
- Who will perform the procedure, and who leads my care day to day?
What does the estimate include?
- Is the estimate itemised for room, procedure, surgeon, anaesthesia, implants, medicines and tests?
- Which room category is the estimate based on?
- What is not included, such as extra ICU days, blood products or a longer stay?
- How are extra charges approved and communicated to me?
- What deposit is needed on admission and how is any balance refunded?
- Will you put the treatment plan and estimate in a written document?
What support will I get as an international patient?
- Will you issue a visa letter on your letterhead with my passport details?
- Is there an international patient desk and a named coordinator?
- Can you provide an interpreter for my language?
- Can my attendant stay in the room, and what meals are provided?
- Do you arrange airport pick-up or help with local accommodation?
What happens after discharge?
- Will I receive a full discharge summary and copies of all reports and images in English?
- Who decides when it is safe for me to fly home?
- How do I contact the team with questions once I am home?
- Can follow-up reviews be done by teleconsultation with my local doctor?
- If a complication appears after I return, who do I contact and what support do you offer?
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Accreditation is not a promise
The CDC and TravelHealthPro both point out that international accreditation does not ensure a good outcome. Treat it as a starting check, then look at the doctor’s registration, the written plan and the aftercare arrangements.
Questions people ask
Why should I ask for answers in writing?
Written answers give you a record of what was agreed about the plan, the estimate and aftercare. TravelHealthPro advises a written contract setting out the treatment plan and who pays for extra treatment, medicines and a longer stay. It also makes comparing two hospitals far easier.
How can I check the doctor’s registration myself?
Doctors in India are registered with a State Medical Council, and the National Medical Commission publishes the Indian Medical Register. You can search it by name, registration number, year or council. Our separate guide explains each step.
Does IndiaMedica ask these questions for me?
Yes, as part of the free case review. We put these questions to partner hospitals and share the written answers with you. Partner hospitals pay us a disclosed referral fee, and that fee never changes the price you pay.
Sources
- CDC Yellow Book: Medical Tourism
- TravelHealthPro (UK Health Security Agency, NaTHNaC): Travelling for treatment
- NABH: National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers
- Joint Commission International (JCI)
General information, not medical or legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the official source. How we write and check.