Shafaq News- Baghdad/ New Delhi
Iraqi patients who traveled to India for medical treatmenttold Shafaq News they were charged for surgical technology they never saw used,and paid inflated fees they attribute to intermediaries and hospitalpharmacies.
India remains one of the leading destinations for Iraqisseeking care abroad, drawing patients with specialized centers in cardiacsurgery, organ transplantation, oncology, and orthopedics at costs lower thanseveral alternative destinations.
Hussam al-Khafaji, an Iraqi patient who traveled to anIndian hospital for spinal fusion surgery, said the procedure was quoted atapproximately 8,000 US dollars. The hospital then offered to operate usingrobotic assistance for an additional 1,500 dollars, presenting the technologyas more precise and likely to produce better outcomes, and he agreed to pay.
“I didn’t see any robotic device in the operating room whenI entered,” Al-Khafaji said. “I asked the surgeon directly about the equipmentI had paid for, but he simply told me not to worry, to relax, and that theoperation would go ahead. He didn’t explain why the device wasn’t there orconfirm whether the technology was used.”
Duraid Salman, who accompanied his daughter for treatment inIndia, said hospital cleanliness and medical staffing were of a high standard,describing the personnel as professional and cooperative. “Still, the businessside often shaped how foreign patients were treated. In many cases, the maingoal was to charge as much as possible, especially when patients were notpaying close attention.”
Salman warned Iraqi patients against relying entirely ontranslators, medical tourism offices, and treatment organizers, which “addsubstantial commissions in some cases.” A patient may be told a procedure costsa certain amount when the actual price is far lower, sometimes half or less, hesaid, pointing out that medication prices in hospital pharmacies were higherthan at outside pharmacies selling the same drugs.
Some patients, particularly those seeking a rapid returnhome, may undergo additional procedures or interventions before recovery iscomplete, Salman said, a risk “capable of producing complications anddeterioration.”
Success rates of 95 to 99 percent advertised by some Indianhospitals are not a scientifically reliable indicator, according to MustafaMohammed, a specialist in internal medicine at Medical City in Baghdad, whoexplained that such figures often function as marketing to attract foreignpatients.
The outcome of any surgery cannot be fixed as a percentagein advance, Mohammed said, because it depends on the patient's health status,age, accompanying illnesses, the surgical team's experience, and theavailability of care before and after the operation. “Patients should examine ahospital's medical record, seek an independent medical opinion, and discuss alltreatment options and possible complications before traveling or undergoingsurgery.”
Official data from India's Ministry of Tourism records30,989 Iraqis arriving for treatment during 2025, placing Iraq second worldwideafter Bangladesh among countries sending patients to India.
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