New Delhi, April 4: Advanced and reliable medical treatment and attractive tourist destinations are making India a hot spot for ‘medical tourism’.

While overseas patients are in the country, they can pack in some pleasure trips as well — all at an affordable price.

For instance, a $40,000 treatment in Australia would cost only $17,000 in India, with an additional seven-day trip to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and accommodation in five-star hotels.

Medical tourism is gaining popularity with medical health management tourism companies, leading hospitals and travel agencies.

Vedic India, a medical NRI health management tourism company, is all set to sign an agreement with travel agency Cox and Kings.

Vedic India chief executive Vinod Tenguria said, “We are close to inking a memorandum of understanding with Cox and Kings which will take care of all travel-related services for the patients. We are also in talks with a few other travel agencies.”

According to the deal, a travel agency has ‘no obligation for medical negligence’, said Tenguria.

Ajay Seth, general manager, Bharat Dekho division of Cox and Kings, said, “The proposal is with the directors at present. We are likely to ink a deal soon.”

Vedic India is also currently in talks with Thomas Cook and Mercury Travels. It has, however, broken an earlier collaboration with Sita Travels.

Vedic India has exclusive tie ups with the Apollo Hospital group, Jaslok Hospital, K G Hospital, Kamineni Hospital, Air India and tourism departments of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Working in association with UK’s National Health Service, the company gets a large number of patients from the United Kingdom, the United States and western Europe.

Speaking with The Telegraph, B. V. Sivangakumari, additional chief, project maintenance unit, tourism department, government of Andhra Pradesh, said, “We share a non-commercial relationship with Vedic India. Besides arranging hospitals, we organise composite tour packages for Vishakapatnam, Vijaywada, Tirupathi, Nagarjun Sagar and Warrangal.”

Air-India offers a special economy class rate for overseas patients.

“The airline is helping us for a good cause. We can’t disclose the price, but it is an exclusive tie-up,” said Tenguria.

Sumedha Sarogi, business development manager, Apollo (Hyderabad), said: “We are getting a number of patients from abroad with chronic ailments and high-end surgeries. The only initial hard-work is to get them here, post-treatment most are satisfied.”

She, however, said most overseas patients are concerned about the quality of food, erratic weather conditions and pollution.