Apollo Hospitals Enterprise has urged the government to implement a more liberal visa policy for overseas patients to strengthen India's medical tourism sector.

"So our idea is to work with the government of India and really evolve this plan called Heal in India. We need enhanced E visas," Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Joint Managing Director Sangita Reddy said.

She highlighted that competitor countries like Thailand, Turkey, the Philippines, and Singapore offer visas on arrival, making it easier for international patients to access treatment. "We are requesting the government to enhance the ease of patients coming in, to speed in, and make the medical tourism visas faster, to promote the concept, because India has high-quality healthcare at one-tenth of global prices," Reddy added.

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Executive Vice Chairperson Preetha Reddy also emphasized the need to improve the visa process and enhance patient experiences at airports. "Now we have fabulous airports in a lot of cities, so that's kind of done," she said.

On future growth, Apollo Hospitals is focusing on collaborations across various sectors, including digital health and scientific research. "So in the digital space, yes, in the learning space, yes, and definitely in the hospital space, you know, you will see more collaborations and lot of scientific collaborations," Reddy said, adding that the company is working with IITs and other institutions to incubate innovations.

The healthcare major has announced plans to invest nearly Rs 6,000 crore ($720 million) over the next five years to add 3,000 beds across its hospital network.