Sonam Garg Sharma, Founder & CEO of Medical Linkers, shares how her patient‑first, technology‑enabled platform is reshaping cross‑border medical journeys by tackling trust, transparency, visa and logistics barriers, and by integrating advanced tertiary care with holistic wellness to position India as a leading medical value travel destination for patients across Africa, the Middle East, Bangladesh and Central Asia by 2030.
What problem in cross-border healthcare did you set out to solve when you founded Medical Linkers, and how has that mission evolved?
At the time we started Medical Linkers, the major problem we aimed to address was the lack of transparency, guidance, and trust in accessing healthcare internationally. Patients looking for cross-border care would find it difficult to gather all necessary information, understand where to go, overcome language barriers, coordinate travel, and be aware of treatment quality and associated costs.
The mission at hand was to make the journey easier through our patient-first platform and provide seamless connections between patients and trustworthy healthcare facilities while guiding them all the way through their care process. Our initial mission has since broadened to encompass the building of an integrated healthcare assistance ecosystem, which now includes access, guidance, digital management, and a better patient experience.
In your experience, what are the top three reasons India is becoming a preferred medical destination for patients from Africa, the Middle East, Bangladesh and Central Asia?
India is increasingly becoming a preferred medical destination for patients from Africa, the Middle East, Bangladesh, and Central Asia for three key reasons. First, the country offers high-quality medical treatment and access to globally trained doctors across specialties such as cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, organ transplants, and IVF, supported by internationally accredited hospitals and advanced medical technology.
Second, India offers 60-80% lower treatment costs compared to other medical tourism destinations. This makes complex procedures financially accessible for a larger patient population.
Third, India has developed a strong ecosystem around international patient care, including medical visa support, multilingual assistance, travel coordination, teleconsultations, personalized care services, and shorter waiting periods. This combination of affordability, clinical expertise, accessibility, and patient-centric support continues to strengthen India’s position as a global healthcare destination.
Beyond affordability, what specific quality or outcome-related factors convince international patients and their families to choose India over other medical hubs like Turkey or Thailand?
Beyond affordability, international patients increasingly choose India because of the quality, specialization, and clinical outcomes offered by its healthcare ecosystem. India is home to highly experienced doctors, many of whom are internationally trained and have extensive expertise in complex procedures across cardiology, oncology, organ transplants, orthopedics, and robotic surgeries.
Another major factor is access to advanced medical technology and internationally accredited hospitals that provide global-standard treatment protocols and personalized care. Patients also value shorter waiting times compared to those in several other countries, allowing faster diagnosis and treatment.
India offers strong post-treatment support, multilingual assistance, and comprehensive patient coordination services, which help create a smoother and more reassuring experience for both patients and their families throughout the medical journey.
How have initiatives such as medical visas, e-medical visas and the “Heal in India” program changed the patient journey on the ground?
Initiatives such as medical visas, e-medical visas, and the government’s “Heal in India” program have significantly improved the experience for international patients seeking treatment in India. These initiatives have simplified travel approvals, reduced processing timelines, and made healthcare access more organized and patient-friendly for people coming from regions such as Africa, the Middle East, Bangladesh, and Central Asia.
E-medical visas, in particular, have streamlined documentation and improved accessibility for patients requiring urgent consultations or planned procedures. At the same time, the “Heal in India” initiative has strengthened India’s positioning as a global healthcare destination by promoting quality healthcare infrastructure, international patient facilitation, and coordinated support services. Together, these measures have helped create a smoother, faster, and more transparent patient journey from initial consultation to post-treatment follow-up.
What gaps remain in policy or implementation that you believe must be addressed for India to truly become a seamless global medical value travel destination?
Although India has achieved a great deal in terms of MVT, there remain several areas that require improvement in order to build a truly integrated global healthcare system. Coordination among visa procedures, insurance arrangements, airport transfers, and after-care facilities for international patients is one of the major concerns in this regard.
Standardization of services offered to patients, multi-language support, and integration of medical records through digital means are also required. Global recognition of India’s clinical results and healthcare capacity is equally necessary. Additionally, policy-based measures related to international healthcare insurance arrangements, accreditation processes, and more effective regulatory coordination will go a long way toward building the country’s reputation in this sphere.
How important are flight connectivity, airport experience and logistics support in a patient’s decision to travel to India, especially from Africa and Central Asia?
Flight connectivity, airport experience, and logistical support play a highly important role in a patient’s decision to travel to India, especially for patients from Africa and Central Asia. For many international patients, medical travel is not just about treatment quality but also about how smooth, safe, and stress-free the overall journey feels.
Direct flight availability, shorter travel durations, visa convenience, airport assistance, local transportation, accommodation support, and multilingual coordination significantly influence patient confidence and comfort. Many patients travel with attendants or family members, making seamless logistics even more critical during treatment and recovery. Strong logistical coordination also helps reduce anxiety for patients already dealing with serious medical conditions. A well-supported travel and care ecosystem ultimately strengthens trust and improves India’s competitiveness as a global medical value travel destination.
You often talk about trust and transparency. What does a genuinely transparent medical journey look like from first enquiry to post-treatment follow-up?
A genuinely transparent medical journey begins with providing patients with clear, accurate, and unbiased information from the very first enquiry. This includes realistic treatment options, estimated costs, expected outcomes, recovery timelines, and guidance around hospitals and specialists without hidden processes or misinformation.
Transparency also means maintaining consistent communication throughout the patient journey, from visa support and travel coordination to hospital admission, treatment updates, and discharge planning. Patients and families should feel informed at every stage rather than overwhelmed or uncertain.
Post-treatment follow-up is equally important. A transparent healthcare experience continues even after patients return home through regular check-ins, digital consultations, medical record sharing, and long-term care guidance. Ultimately, trust is built when patients feel supported, informed, and confident throughout the entire healthcare journey.
What are the most common expectations and anxieties you see among international patients today and how is Medical Linkers structuring its services to address them?
International patients today primarily look for trust, clarity, affordability, and personalized support throughout their treatment journey. At the same time, their biggest anxieties often revolve around treatment quality, hidden costs, language barriers, travel coordination, visa processes, and uncertainty around outcomes in an unfamiliar country.
At Medical Linkers, we structure our services to reduce this uncertainty through end-to-end patient assistance. This includes helping patients identify the right hospitals and specialists, providing transparent treatment guidance, multilingual support, visa and travel coordination, accommodation assistance, and continuous communication throughout the process. We also focus strongly on post-treatment follow-up and patient engagement to ensure continuity of care. The goal is to make the entire medical journey more seamless, reassuring, and patient-centric from start to finish.
Looking at current flows, which specialties and therapies are driving the fastest growth in medical travel to India, and where do you see new demand emerging?
India is witnessing strong growth in medical travel across specialties such as cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, organ transplants, neurology, fertility treatments, and AYUSH-based wellness therapies. According to industry estimates, India’s medical tourism market is expected to reach USD 16.2 billion by 2030, driven by rising global demand for affordable and high-quality healthcare services. With strong inflows coming from countries such as Bangladesh, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Somalia, and Oman.
It is mainly due to India’s provision of competent doctors, state-of-the-art medical equipment, hospitals that have received international accreditation, reduced wait times, and relatively lower medical costs. While this is happening, there is a rising demand for robotic surgeries, preventive medicine, regenerative medicines, rehabilitation services, and holistic wellness-driven treatments through teleconsultation and digital health services.
India also markets itself as a wellness and holistic care destination. How do you see advanced tertiary care and wellness tourism converging for international patients?
India is now observing a convergence between modern tertiary care and wellness travel, especially for international patients who want holistic healing as well as well-being along with their medical care. It is no longer the case that many patients just want to be successful in their operations or procedures. They also want to ensure that there is some element of wellness along with their healing.
It is here that India gets an edge because of its rich blend of advanced health care facilities and also wellness techniques like Ayurveda, yoga, and naturopathy, among others. International patients are now showing an interest in combining their surgeries and specializations with their wellness journeys. In the coming years, this blend of healthcare and wellness is sure to make India stand out in the global medical value travel domain.
Can you share a specific case where collaboration between a hospital, Medical Linkers and hospitality/travel partners significantly changed the outcome or experience for a patient?
One case that stands out involved a patient with a highly complex medical condition who had already sought opinions and explored treatment options across multiple countries, including some of the world’s leading healthcare destinations. After consulting several specialists, the family had been given very little hope of recovery and was struggling to find the right treatment path.
Through our close working relationships with leading hospitals and surgeons, Medical Linkers facilitated direct expert consultations and a comprehensive review of the case. Together with the treating hospital, we developed a personalized treatment plan that was not only clinically appropriate but also significantly more affordable than the options the patient had explored elsewhere.
Our travel and hospitality partners ensured a smooth experience for the patient and family, while our team remained closely involved throughout the treatment journey. The collaboration between Medical Linkers, the hospital team, and the treating surgeons enabled faster decision-making, personalized care, and seamless coordination.
The outcome exceeded expectations, with the patient recovering far better and faster than originally anticipated. We remain in touch with the patient and family even today. Cases like these reinforce our belief that when hospitals, facilitators, and support partners work as one ecosystem, patients receive not just treatment, but the best possible chance at recovery and a better overall experience.
There is growing scrutiny of medical facilitators globally. What ethical standards and accountability mechanisms do you believe are essential for this sector in India?
With growing global scrutiny around medical facilitators, ethical standards and accountability are becoming extremely important for the sector in India. Transparency should be the foundation of the patient journey, especially around treatment recommendations, hospital partnerships, pricing, expected outcomes, and potential risks. Patients should receive accurate and unbiased medical information rather than commercially driven guidance.
Strong data privacy practices, verified hospital networks, qualified medical coordination teams, and clear grievance redressal mechanisms are also essential for building long-term trust. In addition, greater standardization, accreditation frameworks, and regulatory oversight can help improve credibility across the ecosystem. Furthermore, more standardized and accredited systems, along with regulatory oversight, may assist in increasing the levels of credibility within the entire process. Eventually, medical facilitators need to assume the role of advocates of their patients’ needs in terms of quality of care and transparency.
If you look ahead to 2030, what is your vision for India’s medical value travel ecosystem, and what role do you see Medical Linkers playing in that future landscape?
By 2030, I see India becoming the world’s most trusted destination for medical value travel, known not only for clinical excellence and affordability but also for delivering a seamless, patient-centric experience.
Medical Linkers aims to play a key role in this transformation by connecting international patients with the right hospitals, doctors, and support services through a transparent, technology-enabled ecosystem. We are continuously investing in digital platforms that simplify the patient journey from initial inquiry and medical record sharing to treatment coordination, communication, and post-treatment follow-up, making the entire experience smoother and more efficient.
At the same time, we firmly believe that technology should enhance, not replace, the human touch. Through our Legacy Care approach, we remain connected with patients beyond their treatment, ensuring ongoing support and continuity of care. Our goal is to make every patient journey easier, more reassuring, and ultimately one that ends with better health outcomes and smiles on the faces of patients and their families.
Ultimately, we want Medical Linkers to be recognized as a trusted bridge between patients and healthcare systems, helping make quality healthcare accessible across borders while positioning India as a global leader in medical value travel.
