Hyderabad, May 8 (IANS) Hyderabad, the city of pearls, has always been a favoured destination for healthcare seekers from Middle East, Africa, and South Asian nations.

Though the number of patients coming to the city from these countries fell drastically in the past two years due to Covid-19 pandemic, these numbers have started rising at a rapid pace since early 2022.

According to the information sourced from various healthcare institutions in the city, more than 2,000 international patients visited Hyderabad and sought medical and surgical help at hospitals here.

With international flights getting cancelled and due to stringent lockdowns imposed across many nations, this number fell to below 500 in 2020. Though there was a slight increase in 2021, it is only this year healthcare providers in Hyderabad started receiving queries and patients to match pre-pandemic levels.

"Hyderabad is among the most favoured destinations for patients from Africa and other neighbouring nations. I personally had operated on more than 100 patients from various countries. Though the number of international patients seeking medical care in India slumped since the start of 2020, we are receiving queries from patients across many African nations, Bangladesh, etc. since the first quarter of this year," said Dr. Kishore B Reddy, Managing Director, Amor Hospitals.

He expects this number to rise further with normalcy returning into peoples' lives. Amor Hospitals is at the forefront of providing world-class treatment to patients seeking advanced orthopedic surgeries, neuro surgeries, and many other complex procedures.

"Hyderabad hospitals are home to world-class medical infrastructure, and we maintained our supremacy through the pandemic phase. The city receives many patients from Bangladesh, Sudan, Iraq, Nigeria etc., and our hospital has been offering best treatments especially to patients with orthopedic related complications. With Government of India giving green signal to international flights, we are expecting patients from many countries would take advantage of the facilities available in Hyderabad," added D V S Soma Raju, Executive Director, SLG Hospitals.

Dr Satwinder Singh Sabharwal, COO, Aware Gleneagles Global Hospital, pointed out that Hyderabad is well connected by air from Middle East, North Africa, South Asian countries, and the city is not expensive when it comes to treatment and hospitality. Weather here suits people from these countries, and food to a great extent matches their nutrition habits. aceWith treatments costing nearly 20 per cent lower at Hyderabad, this city is economical when compared to other Megapolis cities in India like New Delhi, Mumbai, and even Bangalore," he said.

"Government of Telangana has a favourable policy towards encouraging healthcare infrastructure in Hyderabad, and across the State. Many international healthcare investment funds have invested in the city and have enabled hospitals here to acquire best equipment from around the World. Most of the superspecialists working in hospitals here have international exposure, and do understand the mindset of international patients," concluded Dr Hemanth Kaukuntla, CEO, Century Hospital.