Delhi Govt to launch single digital platform for medical tourism services

From hospital selection and treatment bookings to live patient tracking, translation services and post-treatment support, Delhi Government is planning to bring medical tourism services under a single digital platform.

The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), the nodal agency for the initiative, has floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) on Friday to appoint a strategic partner that will design, develop, operate and manage the Delhi Medical and Wellness Tourism (DMWT) Platform and the broader medical tourism ecosystem across the National Capital Territory.  According to the RFP, the selected partner will be responsible for setting up and operating an end-to-end ecosystem at its own cost, including the development of a web portal, mobile applications for patients and healthcare providers and an administrative dashboard for Government authorities and empanelled stakeholders. The DMWT platform is envisioned as a single-window system for inter-state and international medical travellers seeking treatment in Delhi, it said.

It will facilitate patient registration, verification of passports and medical visas, hospital selection, treatment package booking, payments, patient tracking, multilingual support, grievance redressal and post-treatment follow-up services. Under the implementation schedule, the selected agency will have to establish a project office in Delhi within 30 days of the contract becoming effective and submit a detailed project report and implementation plan within 60 days and the initial version of the DMWT platform is expected to be launched within 120 days, it said.

The first phase of empanelment, targeted for completion within 180 days, will include at least five Joint Commission International-accredited hospitals, 25 National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers-accredited or equivalent hospitals, 15 AYUSH centres and 30 ground service providers covering transport, hospitality, language assistance and concierge services, it said.

The project also aims to integrate hospitals, doctors, AYUSH centres, diagnostic laboratories, accommodation providers and transport operators on a common digital platform. It will include standardised treatment packages with transparent pricing, enabling patients to compare healthcare options before making bookings, it said.  The strategic partner will also provide end-to-end concierge services covering medical opinion coordination, visa assistance, travel planning, airport transfers, accommodation, language interpretation, hospital admission support, discharge coordination and tele-consultation after treatment, it said, adding a dedicated multilingual contact centre will operate round the clock to assist patients throughout their treatment journey.  To promote Delhi as a global healthcare destination, the selected agency will undertake branding and marketing campaigns aligned with the national “Heal in India” initiative.

These will include digital advertising, search engine optimisation, content creation, media outreach, participation in international trade fairs, stakeholder engagement and collaborations with overseas institutions and medical tourism facilitators.

The proposal also envisages partnerships with Indian missions abroad, insurance companies, hospitals, tourism departments and healthcare providers in priority domestic and international markets to create referral networks and expand Delhi's medical tourism footprint, it read.

According to the tourism department, they will develop real-time analytics and reporting dashboards to monitor patient inflow, treatment categories, hospital performance, revenue, patient satisfaction, grievances and other operational indicators.

The project is expected to reach full operational capacity within one year, with complete empanelment, all platform features activated and marketing campaigns running across identified priority markets.