Start with the hospital, then the city
The most important choice is the hospital and the team that will treat you: their experience with your condition, their results and how they look after international patients. The city matters too, because you may spend several weeks there with a family member. Flight connections from your country, the weather in the month you travel, food and the languages spoken around you all shape how comfortable the stay feels.
India's largest private hospitals are concentrated in six metropolitan areas. All of them have accredited hospitals with international patient desks, English-speaking staff and interpreters for the main patient languages.
Delhi NCR
Delhi and its neighbouring cities, Gurugram and Noida, receive more international patients than anywhere else in India. Large multi-specialty hospitals here offer transplants, cancer care, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery and paediatric surgery. Delhi's airport has direct flights from the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and Europe, and Arabic and Russian interpreters are easy to find.
Summers from April to June are very hot, and winter from November to January is cool, with poor air quality on many days. Patients with lung or heart conditions should discuss the season with their doctor.
Mumbai
Mumbai is India's financial capital, with long-established hospitals known for cancer care, cardiac surgery, orthopaedics and IVF. It has good flight links to the Gulf and Africa. The climate is warm and humid all year, and the monsoon from June to September brings heavy rain that can slow travel across the city. Accommodation close to the hospital is worth prioritising because of traffic.
Chennai
Chennai has welcomed medical travellers for decades, especially from Bangladesh, Africa, the Gulf and the Maldives. Its hospitals are known for cardiac care, transplants, orthopaedics, eye care and cancer treatment. Costs of daily living are moderate. It is hot for most of the year, and the main rains fall between October and December.
Bengaluru and Hyderabad
Bengaluru has a mild climate all year, which many recovering patients find easier, and hospitals strong in cardiac surgery, oncology, neurosciences and orthopaedics. Hyderabad has large hospital groups known for gastroenterology, liver care, transplants and cardiac care, a calmer pace than the biggest cities and a modern airport with Gulf connections. Both cities have plenty of serviced apartments near major hospitals.
Kolkata
Kolkata is the natural choice for many patients from Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan: it is close by road, rail and air, Bengali is spoken everywhere and the food will feel familiar. Its hospitals cover cardiac care, oncology, neurology, orthopaedics and kidney care. Summers are hot and humid, and winters are mild.
Practical points in every city
Stay as close to the hospital as you can, since you may visit daily for tests, dressings or physiotherapy. Vegetarian, halal and international food is easy to find near large hospitals, and many hospitals can arrange meals to suit your diet. Local SIM cards need your passport and visa, and app-based taxis are the simplest way to move around.
MedPrax compares hospitals in more than one city when that helps your decision, and arranges pickup and accommodation once you have chosen.