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Medtu Care

Medical treatment in India from Sierra Leone

English is spoken at both ends of this journey, and much of what Sierra Leonean patients are advised to seek (radiotherapy, heart surgery, kidney transplantation) is not yet available at home, so serious cases have long travelled abroad. These journeys are almost always funded by family and the diaspora, which is why we work the way we do: written costs a relative in London or Maryland can verify, a specialist opinion before anyone buys a ticket, and one accountable person to reach throughout.

You always pay the hospital directly. We never hold treatment money. Our fees are published on the Fees page and appear as a separate line item, never inside a hospital bill.

A journey scene connecting Freetown, Sierra Leone with treatment in India.

English at both ends

Records, consultations and every cost document in English, shareable with the family members funding the journey.

Who this guide is for

  • A specialist treatment has been advised that is not yet available in Sierra Leone: radiotherapy, heart surgery, kidney transplant work-up, complex orthopedics or neurosurgery
  • A relative in London, the US or elsewhere in the diaspora is sponsoring the journey and needs cost documents they can verify from abroad
  • Your family, church or osusu group is pooling funds, and everyone contributing wants to see exactly what the money is for
  • You want a specialist opinion on your case before anyone spends serious money on flights

How it works, step by step

  1. 1

    Records first

    You share your diagnosis and what has been advised. We send a secure link for reports and imaging. Nothing sensitive goes through the website form. Records from Sierra Leone are often thin or handwritten, so part of our job is organizing what exists into a file a specialist can act on.

  2. 2

    Teleconsult or written second opinion

    Before anyone books a flight, a specialist relevant to your condition reviews your case: a $50 video consultation or a $150 written opinion. With flights from Freetown long and costly, this step earns its keep: sometimes the honest answer is that travel is not needed, or that a nearer option serves you better.

  3. 3

    Your decision

    If treatment in India makes sense, you get itemized quotes from suitable hospitals and a side-by-side comparison for your case. You decide; there is no obligation to continue.

  4. 4

    Medical visa

    Sierra Leonean nationals can generally apply online for India’s e-Medical visa. Confirm current eligibility on the official Indian visa portal, as rules change. India also maintains a High Commission in Freetown for paper cases. We coordinate the hospital invitation letter the application needs. A yellow-fever vaccination certificate is required for travel to India from Sierra Leone.

  5. 5

    Travel

    There are no direct flights from Freetown to India. Realistic routings run one or two stops, typically via Istanbul or Nairobi, and 20 hours or more door-to-door. Lungi airport also sits across the estuary from Freetown, so the water transfer needs planning, especially for the return leg after treatment. Our travel arm Tripcuro plans all of this around your admission date.

  6. 6

    Treatment

    You pay the hospital directly, on the hospital’s own invoice, at the rates locked before you flew. A named coordinator handles the practical side so your family can focus on you.

  7. 7

    Follow-up at home

    Before you fly back you get your complete records, a discharge bill audit against the locked quote, and a written follow-up plan your treating doctor or clinic in Sierra Leone can pick up.

Visa reality

Sierra Leonean nationals are generally eligible for India's e-Medical visa, applied for online. India maintains a resident High Commission in Freetown for paper cases, so you are not routed through a third country for documents. Confirm current eligibility and validity terms on the official Indian visa portal before applying; rules change. A yellow-fever vaccination certificate is required for travel to India from Sierra Leone. We coordinate the hospital invitation letter your application needs and hand you a checklist; decisions and timelines belong to the Indian authorities, and we will never pretend to influence them.

Flights reality

This is the hard part of the journey, and we will not dress it up. There are no direct flights from Freetown to India. Workable routings as of mid-2026 typically connect via Istanbul or Nairobi, run 20 hours or more door-to-door, and cost meaningfully more than East African routes. Lungi airport also sits across the estuary from Freetown, so the water transfer needs planning, particularly for the trip home after treatment. Tripcuro, our sister travel company, plans the whole chain: flights around your admission date, the airport transfer at both ends, and accommodation near your hospital.

How payment works

Two separate payments, never mixed. Treatment costs go from you to the hospital directly, on the hospital's own invoice, at rates we lock in writing before you travel. We never hold or route treatment money. Our facilitation fee is published on the Fees page ($50 teleconsult · $150 written second opinion · $1,000 full journey, milestone-gated), each step credited in full to the next. Because card and transfer rails out of Sierra Leone are limited, the sponsor abroad (a relative in the UK or US) usually pays both the hospital and our fee directly in USD or GBP, and every document we prepare is written so that sponsor can verify exactly what they are paying for.

We take no commissions from hospitals. Our fees are paid by you, published upfront, and itemized separately from your hospital bill.

What to prepare

  • A passport valid well beyond your travel dates (check the current validity requirement when applying)
  • Your most recent medical reports, imaging and prescriptions (originals where possible, even if handwritten)
  • A yellow-fever vaccination certificate, required for travel to India from Sierra Leone
  • A realistic funding plan: who is paying (often a relative abroad) and how the money reaches the hospital directly
  • Your two or three most important questions for the specialist, written down

Useful guides to read next

From Sierra Leone: FAQs

Do Sierra Leoneans need to visit an embassy for an Indian medical visa?
Generally no. Sierra Leone is understood to be eligible for India’s e-Medical visa, applied for online before travel. Always confirm current eligibility and validity terms on the official Indian visa portal, as rules change. India also maintains a High Commission in Freetown that handles paper visa cases. We give you a document checklist and coordinate the hospital invitation letter your application needs; visa decisions belong to the Indian authorities alone.
How do you actually get from Freetown to India?
Not in one hop. There is no direct flight. Typical routings as of mid-2026 run via Istanbul or Nairobi, taking 20 hours or more door-to-door, with return fares that often run well above what East African patients pay. Plan the Lungi water crossing too: the airport sits across the estuary from Freetown, which matters for a patient travelling home after surgery. Tripcuro, our travel arm, plans the whole chain around your admission and discharge dates.
Our family and church are raising the money: how do your fees fit in?
They are built for exactly that. Our fees are published on the Fees page, every hospital quote is itemized, and you pay the hospital directly. We never hold treatment money. Most journeys from Sierra Leone are funded by extended family and the diaspora, so every document we prepare (quote, fee invoice, receipt) is written to be shared with the relative in London or Maryland who is paying, or with a church or osusu committee at home.
Is a remote consultation worth it before we commit to travelling?
From Sierra Leone, we think it is the first step that makes sense. A $50 teleconsult or $150 written second opinion costs a small fraction of one air ticket, and it answers the question that matters: is this journey medically worth making at all? Sometimes the honest answer is no: the advised treatment can be done closer to home, or travel will not change the outlook. We would rather tell you that before you spend, and each fee is credited in full if you do go ahead.
Can a family member travel with the patient?
Yes. India’s e-Medical Attendant visa allows companions to accompany a patient, typically up to two attendants per patient, applied for online alongside the patient’s visa. Confirm the current rules on the official Indian visa portal. For a journey this long, we generally advise at least one attendant, and Tripcuro arranges their flights and accommodation near the hospital as well.

Tell us about your case

A few lines are enough to start. We respond within four business hours.

Please don't upload or paste medical reports here. We'll send you a secure link after we connect. And you already know what we charge: our fees are published before you share anything.

Prefer email? Write to aditya@medtu.care — it reaches the same team.

Start from Freetown: or from wherever the family is

Share your case in a few lines. WhatsApp works well, and a relative abroad can write to us on your behalf. A person reads it and comes back with honest next steps, including whether travelling is worth it at all.

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