The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation is offering medical treatment packages to customers at competitive prices in a bid to tap into the growing wellness tourism market in India. The country has become one of the most sought-after destinations in Asia for medical value travel in the last few decades and has created a unique ecosystem for holistic health, according to a statement by the IRCTC.

Approximately 6.97 lac medical tourists visited India in 2019 for medical treatment and the country will account for 6 per cent of the global market share for medical value tourism by 2023, it said, citing data from the Indian Institute of Public Administration.

Amid the growing presence of healthcare institutes across the country, the IRCTC felt the need to assist the customers to opt for the medical facilities for treatment of their ailments as per their choice, convenience and budget.

“With a view to enhance the bouquet of its travel and tourism offerings, the IRCTC has recently started the services of online medical tourism packages for the customers,” said the travel, tourism and hospitality subsidiary of the Railways.

The aim is to provide a holistic experience of the medical value of travel with various other elements like accommodation arrangements, road transfers and optional wellness packages after the treatment, it said.

Having a substantial network of hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic centres empaneled with its technical partner, the IRCTC is offering the packages at a “highly-competitive” prices.

It has partnered with a medico-technical online services company on a pilot basis to provide the entire back-end services to the customers who avail various medical and wellness packages.

For availing the services, a customer has to log in to the IRCTC’s tourism portal – www.irctctourism.com/MedicalTourism – and fill up a basic enquiry form about the details of the treatment needs.

Once the enquiry is generated, the IRCTC team will call up the customer and explain about the treatment options on the basis of convenience and budget.

The company is aggressively marketing its medical tourism initiative through the network of its pan-India offices and has also conducted a product sensitisation session for its officers and staff in various zonal and regional offices.