Telangana eyes inclusion among five regional medical tourism hubs announced in Union Budget

Telangana is seeking to position itself as one of the five regional medical tourism hubs announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the recent Union Budget, with the State government engaging with the Centre to figure out the guidelines and secure its inclusion, IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu said in Hyderabad on Monday, February 16.

Addressing TALHealthFest 2026, the Minister said the announcement was only a few weeks’ old and discussions were underway with the Union government to figure out the framework for the proposed hubs. He said Telangana was confident of its prospects, citing the strength of its public and private healthcare institutions and the steady inflow of international patients seeking treatment in the State.

Noting that thousands of patients, particularly from the Middle East and other countries, already travel to Telangana for medical care, Mr. Sridhar Babu said the State’s medical tourism policy would help standardise services and project Telangana as a reliable global healthcare destination. He also outlined plans to develop a dedicated health city as part of the upcoming Future City project, envisaged as an integrated ecosystem bringing together hospitals, research institutions and allied services.

Sai Gundavelli, Chief Executive Officer of Touch-A-Life Foundation, said the organisation was leveraging technology to expand access to healthcare where it was needed most. He said the TALHospitals initiative connected underserved patients with hospitals offering pro bono care, demonstrating that healthcare solutions could be both global and local.

Speaking at the event, Karnataka Minister for Science and Technology N. S. Boseraju said investments in science and technology were critical to solving global challenges. He said technology could enable people in rural areas to access world-class healthcare and added that platforms such as TALHealthFest were important in advancing India’s ambition to emerge as a global innovation leader.

Govinda Hari, founder of the Association of Healthcare Providers of India and president of AHPI Telangana, said that in the post-COVID period, partnerships between governments, non-profits and hospitals were essential to expand both quality and access in healthcare.