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Medtu Care

Medical treatment in India from the UK

If you are in the UK weighing a five-figure private quote, sitting on an elective list, or wanting an independent specialist’s view before major surgery, India is a practical option for anyone, whether or not you have family there. British citizens apply for the e-Medical visa entirely online, London has daily nonstops to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and English works at both ends. British-Indian families have shortcuts of their own (OCI cardholders need no visa at all), and every patient still needs the same thing: a current, honest answer to “which hospital, and at what price?” That is the part we are built for.

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.

The UK–India corridor: departures board and a London to Delhi journey

Who this guide is for

  • You are self-paying, private quotes at home run to five figures, and you want honest itemized numbers from India before deciding anything
  • You are waiting for an elective procedure and want an independent specialist’s written view on your options, without committing to travel at all
  • You want a written second opinion before agreeing to major surgery, wherever it ends up happening
  • You are of Indian origin in the UK (an OCI cardholder or NRI) planning elective surgery timed to a family visit, or arranging treatment for a parent or relative who is in India

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) and organize them into a file a specialist can act on. If the patient is a relative in India, we collect their records the same way.

  2. 2

    Teleconsult or written second opinion

    Before anyone books a flight, a specialist relevant to the condition reviews the case: a $50 video consultation or a $150 written opinion. For context, a single private consultant appointment in the UK commonly costs £150–£250. Sometimes the honest answer is that travel is not needed.

  3. 3

    Your decision

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

  4. 4

    Visa: online for most, none for some

    British citizens apply online for the e-Medical visa (confirm current terms on the official portal), and we coordinate the hospital invitation letter the application needs and hand you a checklist. Up to two family members can apply for linked e-Medical Attendant visas. OCI cardholders skip this step entirely: no medical visa is needed.

  5. 5

    Travel

    London–Delhi alone has multiple nonstop flights every day, with further nonstops to Mumbai and Bengaluru. Many families fold treatment into a trip they were making anyway. Our travel arm Tripcuro plans flights around the admission date, airport pickup, and accommodation near the hospital.

  6. 6

    Treatment

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

  7. 7

    Follow-up at home

    Before flying back you get complete records, a discharge bill audit against the locked quote, and a written follow-up plan your GP or consultant in the UK can pick up. Teleconsult follow-ups remain available after you are home.

Visa reality

British citizens use the e-Medical visa, applied for entirely online and typically processed in a few working days. The portal currently lists one-year validity with multiple entries, with linked 60-day attendant visas for up to two companions; confirm current terms on the official portal. For OCI cardholders there is no visa question: no medical visa is needed to travel to India for treatment, for any length of stay. We coordinate the hospital invitation letter 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 one of the world’s busiest long-haul corridors. As of mid-2026, London Heathrow–Delhi alone has around 59 nonstop flights a week (Air India, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and IndiGo), plus nonstops from London to Mumbai and Bengaluru. Treatment in other cities usually means a short domestic connection. Tripcuro, our sister travel company, handles bookings, airport pickup and accommodation near your hospital, and times the return leg around when your surgeon says you are fit to fly.

Arranging care for a parent in India

Many of our UK cases are not about the caller travelling at all: the patient is a parent or relative already in India, and the son or daughter in London, Leicester or Birmingham is organizing and paying. We are built for exactly this triangle: we collect the patient’s records through a secure link, put you on the teleconsult together, send every quote and invoice to you in the UK, and give you a named coordinator who answers on WhatsApp. Itemized documents mean everyone funding the treatment, in the UK and in India, sees the same verifiable numbers.

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 anyone travels. We never hold or route treatment money. This corridor is self-funded: UK private insurers do not generally cover planned treatment in India, so check your own policy and plan on paying out of pocket. 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. Paying an Indian hospital from a UK account is routine; we tell you exactly what the transfer reference should say so nothing gets stuck.

What to prepare

  • A passport valid well beyond your travel dates, plus your OCI card if you hold one
  • Your most recent medical reports, imaging and prescriptions; you are entitled to copies of your UK records, so request them early
  • If you are arranging care for a relative in India: their recent reports, and clarity on who decides and who pays
  • A realistic funding plan: who is paying, and how the money reaches the hospital directly
  • Your two or three most important questions for the specialist, written down

Treatment guides by specialty, for patients from the United Kingdom

Each of these covers the same the United Kingdom process (records, an independent review, itemized quotes, then coordination) with the detail that matters for that field of medicine.

Useful guides to read next

From the UK: FAQs

I have no family connection to India: is this still for me?
Completely. Treatment in India does not require an Indian background: hospitals’ international desks work in English, British citizens apply for the e-Medical visa entirely online, and every step of our process (records, a teleconsult or written opinion, itemized quotes, coordinated treatment) is the same for every patient. The OCI shortcuts some of our patients use are a convenience for them, not a requirement for you.
I am a British citizen: how does the visa work?
British citizens are eligible for India’s e-Medical visa, applied for entirely online between about four months and four days before travel. Processing typically takes a few working days. The official portal currently lists it with one-year validity from first arrival and multiple entries. Portal terms have changed over time, so always confirm the current conditions there when you apply. Up to two companions can apply for linked 60-day e-Medical Attendant visas. We coordinate the hospital invitation letter the application needs; always confirm current rules on the official Indian visa portal.
I hold an OCI card: do I need a medical visa for treatment in India?
No. OCI cardholders can travel to India and take medical treatment without a separate medical visa and without special permissions, for any length of stay. That removes the biggest piece of paperwork entirely. Rules can change, so confirm current guidance on the official Indian government pages before travel. We include this in your checklist.
Are there direct flights from the UK to India?
Yes, many. As of mid-2026 London Heathrow–Delhi alone has around 59 nonstop flights a week across Air India, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and IndiGo, plus nonstops from London to Mumbai and Bengaluru. Treatment in other Indian cities usually means a short domestic connection. Tripcuro, our travel arm, plans this around your admission date.
Can I combine treatment with a family visit to India?
Yes. For British-Indian families this is the most common pattern we see: the consultation and quotes are settled from the UK, and surgery is scheduled around a trip you were planning anyway. The one thing to plan honestly is recovery time: your surgeon decides when you are fit to fly home, so build slack into the return leg rather than booking a tight turnaround.
My family in India can arrange a hospital for free: why pay you?
If your family network is strong and current, use it. We will say so. Where we earn our fee is when that network has aged out or knows one hospital in one city: relatives typically get you a single hospital’s opinion through whoever they know. We compare itemized quotes across hospitals and cities with no reason to steer you anywhere. We take no commissions from hospitals. Our fees are paid by you, published upfront, and itemized separately from your hospital bill.

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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.

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