The number of foreigners arriving in India for medical purposes doubled from 2015 to 2017, Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel told Parliament on June 25.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Patel said the number of such tourists was 2,33,918 in 2015 and 4,27,014 in 2016.

In 2017, the minister said, the number was 4,95,056.

"Realizing the potential to develop and promote Wellness and Medical Tourism as a niche product in the country, the Ministry of Tourism has formulated guidelines for the promotion of Medical Tourism," the Press Information Bureau quoted Patel as saying.

In order to provide a dedicated institutional framework to take forward medical tourism, a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted, which works as an umbrella organisation that promotes this segment of tourism in an organised manner, the PIB said.