Medical treatment in India from Nigeria: costs, visa and flights

Getting there: From Lagos or Abuja, usually one stop via the Gulf or Addis Ababa
Visa: Medical visa, after a hospital accepts your case. Missions in Abuja and Lagos
Language: English throughout, so interpreting is rarely needed
Currency: Naira is not convertible in India. Plan a transfer or carry US dollars
Commonly travelled for: Sickle cell, cancer, cardiac surgery, kidney care, orthopaedics
First step: A specialist reviews your reports on video, free

The one thing worth reading first

Nigeria has more people living with sickle cell disease than any other country. If that includes you or your child, there is something specific worth knowing: a bone marrow transplant can cure sickle cell disease, and it works far better in childhood, with a matched brother or sister as donor, before repeated crises and transfusions have damaged organs.

The indicative partner-hospital price is $20,000 with a fully matched sibling donor. Each sibling has roughly a one in four chance of matching, and a sibling with sickle cell trait rather than the disease can still donate. Having healthy siblings tissue-typed costs little, commits you to nothing, and tells you whether the option exists while it is still at its most effective. That is worth doing now rather than at some future point.

What Nigerian patients travel for

Cancer. Particularly where radiotherapy is needed. Access to functioning radiotherapy machines is limited across much of Nigeria, and waiting lists are long, which is the single most common reason cancer patients travel.
Cardiac surgery. Bypass surgery from an indicative $4,600, valve replacement from $4,500, and children's heart defect repair from $5,000.
Kidney transplant. At $12,500, with the important condition that you must bring a living donor who is a near relative. Read the donor rules before making any plan.
Joint replacement. Knees from $3,700, hips from $4,500, both joints on one trip for considerably less than two trips.
Bone marrow transplant for sickle cell, thalassaemia and blood cancers.

Getting there

Most patients travel from Lagos or Abuja with one connection, commonly through the Gulf hubs or through Addis Ababa. Total journey time is typically the better part of a day including the connection. If you are travelling unwell, or with a child, it is worth paying for the shorter connection rather than the cheapest itinerary.

Airline routes, mission locations and visa requirements change. Everything on this page is an orientation, not a timetable: confirm current routes with the airline and current visa requirements with the Indian mission before you book anything.

Visa and documents

India maintains a High Commission in Abuja and a Consulate General in Lagos. The medical visa follows a hospital accepting your case and issuing an invitation letter, so the sequence is: send reports, get the opinion and the written estimate, receive the invitation letter, then apply. Applying before you have the letter wastes time and money.

Apply for a medical attendant visa for whoever travels with you at the same time, not afterwards. Our medical visa guide covers the documents. For a transplant, the paperwork is considerably heavier because the family relationship to the donor has to be proved and certified, and that is the slowest part of the whole process. Start it first.

What to bring

Scan images as DICOM files on a CD or USB, not only the printed reports
All previous discharge summaries and pathology reports, including older ones
Your current medicines in their original packaging, with a list of generic names
For sickle cell, your transfusion history and any record of crises and admissions
Vaccination records, particularly for children
Yellow fever vaccination certificate, which is commonly required when travelling from Nigeria

Money

Hospital bills are settled in Indian rupees or in US dollars depending on the hospital. The naira is not convertible in India, so plan on transferring funds or carrying US dollars rather than expecting to change money on arrival. Ask the hospital's international patient office which payment methods they accept before you travel, and be aware that international card limits catch people out when a large deposit is requested. Arranging a bank transfer in advance is usually simpler than everything else.

Budget beyond the package price. Every cost table on this site excludes flights, visa, accommodation outside the hospital stay, pre-operative investigations and treatment for complications. Build in a contingency, because the most common reason a trip becomes stressful is a stay that runs longer than planned.

After you go home

This is the part of medical travel that most often goes wrong, and it is entirely preventable. Before you leave India, make sure you have your discharge summary and treatment record in writing, your medication list with generic drug names rather than only Indian brand names, a clear follow-up schedule, and the name of a doctor in Nigeria who will take over your monitoring.

Then check, before you fly, that the specific medicines you have been prescribed are available and affordable where you live. Anti-rejection medication after a transplant, blood thinners after a mechanical heart valve, and thyroid hormone after thyroid surgery all have to continue without interruption. A treatment that succeeds in hospital and fails at home for want of a tablet is the outcome all of this planning exists to prevent. Follow-up consultations continue by video.

Questions patients ask

How much does treatment in India cost for a Nigerian patient?

The same as for anyone else. Partner-hospital package prices are not adjusted by nationality: bypass surgery from an indicative $4,600, knee replacement from $3,700, kidney transplant at $12,500. What varies by country is the cost of getting there. See our treatments page for over fifty priced procedures.

Can a bone marrow transplant cure my child's sickle cell disease?

For suitable patients, yes, and Nigeria has more people living with sickle cell disease than any other country. It works best in childhood with a matched sibling donor, before repeated crises and transfusions have caused organ damage. The indicative price is $20,000 with a fully matched donor. Having healthy siblings tissue-typed early is worth doing.

How do I get a medical visa for India from Nigeria?

After a hospital has accepted your case and issued an invitation letter, you apply through the Indian mission, with a High Commission in Abuja and a Consulate General in Lagos. Apply for a medical attendant visa for your companion at the same time. Requirements change, so confirm the current process with the mission.

How long is the flight from Lagos to India?

Most itineraries involve one connection, commonly through the Gulf or Addis Ababa, and take the better part of a day in total. If you are travelling unwell or with a child, a shorter connection is worth paying for over the cheapest fare.

Will I need an interpreter?

Generally no. English is the working language in Indian hospitals and in Nigeria, so Nigerian patients rarely need interpreting. If a relative travelling with you is more comfortable in another language, an interpreter can still be arranged.

Can I pay in naira?

No. The naira is not convertible in India, so plan on an international bank transfer or on carrying US dollars. Ask the hospital's international patient office which methods they accept before travelling, and check your card limits in advance, since large deposits often exceed them.

Why is cancer treatment such a common reason to travel?

Access to working radiotherapy machines is limited across much of Nigeria and waiting lists are long, and delay matters a great deal in cancer. That is the most common single reason Nigerian cancer patients travel. Send your scans and pathology first, because a specialist can often tell you what is realistic before you spend anything.