the goan I network
PANAJI
Speaking to The Goan, Parulekar said that e-visas for medical tourists was part of the recommendation the State had sent to the Centre back in 2013 and even though it wasn’t included in the original notification, it was better late than never.
“I had sent the recommendation way back in 2013 that e-tourist visas be also given to the medical tourists who seek cheaper non-emergency procedures to be done in Goa. We have many big hospitals here in the State and they will benefit from this,” Parulekar said.
“It was not done earlier because some formalities had to be completed and now, it seems it is being done. This is a welcome move,” Parulekar said.
Reports emerging from New Delhi have indicated that the Centre is set to announce e-visas for patients seeking prolonged treatment in recognised health care centres.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has agreed to the move, on the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office, and the announcement is likely to be made after the current session of Parliament the reports have said.
Applicants from nearly 150 countries eligible for e-tourist visas will be able to send online applications for medical visas with scanned copies of medical prescriptions from a government-accredited hospital of his/ her country.
Nearly 85,000 tourists have visited the country using e-visas or ETVs through Dabolim airport since the facility was launched in 2015 with the biggest numbers coming from Russia, UK and Germany.
