Telangana is a medical tourism hub, drawn among 100,000 visitors each year: Minister of Health

Telangana is rapidly gaining a major destination for the medical tourism industry, attracting more than 10,000 tourists each year from regions such as the Middle East, Africa, SAARC and cis countries. Telangana Health Minister Christina Z. Chongthu said the state’s appeal is now expanding to Southeast Asia and Europe, while addressing the contestants of Miss World 2025 during a visit to AIG Hospital on Friday.

Ms. Chongthu stressed the importance of women’s health, describing it as the “foundation” of family and social well-being. She detailed Aarogya Mahila, the state’s flagship medical initiative, which was launched in 2023 and outlines Telangana’s wider health care infrastructure aimed at promoting equitable and accessible care for women.

“The Aarogya Mahila program currently operates at 372 primary health centers in Telangana, associated with 37 tertiary care facilities. Every Tuesday, women patients can access preventive screening and counseling specifically provided by female health care professionals. It is cared for by women, who provide care to women,” she explained.

Since its inception, Aarogya Mahila has screened 1.92 million women, with more than 42,600 mentioning further diagnosis and treatment. Screening focuses on eight key health areas including breast cancer, cervical and oral cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause, urinary tract infection (UTI), infertility, sexually transmitted diseases (STDS), and nutritional deficits. The screening of breast cancer has reached 14.49 billion women, 3.51 million cervical cancer and 1.486 million oral cancer.

The event also participated in Ravinder Nayak, Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Director of Medical Education, A. Narendra Kumar, and other senior officials in the health department. The audience included female doctors from government medical institutions in Telangana.