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Specialist doctor discussing medical imaging with an international patient and family during a clinic consultation.

Guides

Know what to expect at every stage of the journey.

Medical travel is easier when you know who does what, which documents matter and what to ask. These guides are written by the people who coordinate these journeys. They are general information, and the treating doctor's advice always comes first.

24 guides · 6 treatment areas · Glossary of terms

Air ambulance

Air ambulance and patient transfers

How hospital-to-hospital transfers, air ambulances, airline medical escorts and medical repatriation work, explained for families.

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Air ambulance team preparing a stretcher patient for a bed-to-bed medical transfer beside a private jet.

How an air ambulance transfer works, from bed to bed

What actually happens between the sending hospital bed and the receiving hospital bed, who is responsible for each step, and what the family needs to do.

Medical escort nurse caring for an older patient during a commercial flight.

Air ambulance or a commercial flight with a medical escort?

How doctors decide between a dedicated air ambulance and a scheduled airline flight with a doctor or nurse alongside, and what each option involves.

Critical care doctor and nurse monitoring a patient with medical equipment inside an air ambulance aircraft.

Fitness to fly, and what doctors assess before a patient travels

Who decides whether a patient is fit to fly, what they look at, why the cabin environment matters, and what families can do while the decision is made.

Emergency medical team transferring a monitored patient on a stretcher outside a hospital.

Documents needed for a hospital-to-hospital transfer

A practical checklist of the medical, identity and consent documents usually needed for a domestic or international patient transfer, and who provides each one.

Ground ambulance team moving a patient on a stretcher at a hospital entrance.

Ground ambulances and airport coordination during a transfer

The road and airport legs of a patient transfer, why their timing matters, and what is arranged at the sending and receiving ends.

Medical team preparing a stretcher patient for transfer beside a private air ambulance jet.

Does insurance cover air ambulance and medical repatriation?

How travel and health insurance policies typically treat air ambulance and repatriation costs, what insurers ask for, and how to avoid delays.

Medical team transferring a patient on a stretcher between an ambulance and medical aircraft at the airport.

Bringing a patient home to India from abroad

What medical repatriation to India involves, how the foreign hospital, the Indian receiving hospital, the operator and the insurer fit together, and what the family should do first.

Critical care transport team moving a stretcher patient between an ambulance and medical aircraft.

What families should know on transfer day

What happens on the day a patient is moved between hospitals, when the family will hear from the coordinator, and how to prepare.

Treatment in India

Treatment in another Indian city

Practical guides for families travelling within India for specialist care: second opinions, choosing a hospital, records, estimates, stay and follow-up.

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Specialist doctor reviewing scans with a patient family during a second-opinion consultation.

Getting a second opinion from a specialist in another Indian city

When a second opinion is worth seeking, how to get one without travelling first, what records the specialist will need, and how to discuss it with your own doctor.

Patient coordinator and clinician assisting an older patient on arrival at a hospital.

Questions to ask before choosing a hospital in another city

Practical questions families can ask hospitals before travelling for treatment, covering the specialist team, the plan, costs, stay, attendants and follow-up.

Specialist doctor discussing medical imaging with an international patient and family during a clinic consultation.

How to organise medical records for a specialist review

Which records specialists need, how to get original imaging and pathology, how to order and name files, and how to share them securely.

Medical concierge reviewing travel and care arrangements with an international patient family.

Understanding hospital treatment estimates in India

What a hospital estimate usually includes and excludes, why the final bill can differ, and how to compare estimates from different hospitals fairly.

Medical team assisting a wheelchair patient from a vehicle during a hospital-to-hotel transfer.

Where to stay near the hospital during treatment

How to choose accommodation for the patient and attendants before, during and after a hospital stay, and what to check for recovery stays.

Patient care team and coordinator assisting an older patient on arrival at a hospital.

A guide for attendants travelling with a patient

What attendants usually do during a hospital stay in another city, what to bring, how to look after yourself, and how to keep the rest of the family informed.

Doctor and family member supporting an older patient during post-treatment recovery.

After discharge, recovery and follow-up when you live in another city

What to collect at discharge, how to plan the journey home, and how to manage follow-up appointments and local care after treatment in another city.

Patient walking with a doctor and family member during post-treatment rehabilitation support.

Arranging care in India for parents while you live abroad

A practical guide for NRIs and families overseas organising hospital care, second opinions and transfers for a parent in India, across time zones.

International patients

International patients

Guides for patients travelling to India for treatment: planning, documents, visas, records, arrival, payments, language support and returning home.

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Medical concierge reviewing travel and care arrangements with an international patient family.

Planning treatment in India from abroad, step by step

The full sequence for international patients, from first enquiry and hospital case review to visa, travel, treatment, discharge and return home.

International patient family welcomed by a hospital concierge in a modern medical facility.

Documents to bring for treatment in India

A checklist of travel, medical, financial and practical documents for international patients and attendants travelling to India for treatment.

Specialist doctor consulting with an international patient family in a modern hospital office.

Sending medical records to hospitals in India for review

What Indian hospitals need to review an international patient's case, how to prepare and translate records, and how to share them securely with consent.

Patient coordinator guiding an international family with luggage through a hospital lobby.

Arriving in India for treatment, the first days

What international patients can expect on arrival in India, from the airport to the first hospital visit, and how to settle in before admission.

Hospital coordinator and doctor welcoming an international patient family on arrival.

Interpreters and language support during treatment in India

When international patients need an interpreter, how medical interpreting differs from everyday translation, and how to plan language support for consultations and consent.

Specialist doctor discussing medical imaging with an international patient and family during a clinic consultation.

Managing money and payments during treatment in India

How international patients usually pay hospitals in India, deposits and interim bills, keeping records for insurance, and avoiding surprises at discharge.

Healthcare professional assisting an older wheelchair passenger through an airport terminal.

Returning home after treatment in India

How international patients prepare to fly home after treatment: fitness to fly, discharge documents, medicines, travel support and what to arrange at home.

Doctor and family member supporting an older patient during post-treatment recovery.

Continuing care with your doctor at home

How to hand care back to your own doctor after treatment in India, what they will need, and how follow-up with the Indian treating team usually works.

Treatment areas and glossary

Specialty pages explain what records and preparation each type of care usually needs. The glossary explains the terms hospitals, airlines and insurers use.

Patient walking with a doctor and family member during post-treatment rehabilitation support.

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