Medical Treatment in India from Kenya: A Patient's Guide

Last checked: 16 September 2026. The official sources for every fact are listed at the end of this guide.

Kenya is one of the largest source markets for medical travel to India, and if you are in Nairobi, Mombasa or beyond and have decided on India, the questions are practical: the visa, the invitation letter, and — if you hope to use the national scheme — the pre-approval paperwork. This guide is built on the Nairobi High Commission's own published requirements and Kenya's Social Health Authority, not on facilitator claims.

How Meridian helps a Kenyan patient

• We send your diagnosis and reports to the international-patient office of a suitable NABH- or JCI-accredited hospital, so a specialist can review your case and prepare a written estimate.
• We arrange the hospital invitation letter the visa requires — only the treating Indian hospital can issue it — and, where you are pursuing scheme cover, the pro-forma invoice the hospital provides.
• A dedicated coordinator keeps in touch on WhatsApp through the visa, the travel and your stay, and after you return home.

You pay the hospital directly, against its written estimate, and the invoice is in your name.

The Indian medical visa from Nairobi

According to the High Commission of India in Nairobi, a Medical or Medical Attendant visa is normally issued in three working days (and, in emergencies, may be issued in one working day, subject to fee payment on the day of submission). The application requires a letter of invitation from an approved hospital or recognised doctor in India, naming the patient and any attendants, their passport numbers, the illness and the duration of treatment. A community-welfare surcharge applies to visa services. Requirements — including whether you must attend in person for biometrics — are set by the mission and can change, so check the current instructions on the mission's page before you apply. See our step-by-step Kenya visa guide.

Using SHA for overseas treatment

Kenya's Social Health Authority (SHA) can, in defined cases, fund specialised treatment abroad when it cannot be provided locally — but only through a pre-approval process, and only at accredited overseas hospitals. The referring Kenyan facility submits the paperwork, which includes an official overseas-treatment referral, a specialist medical report, a treatment plan from the overseas hospital and a detailed pro-forma invoice. The pro-forma invoice is exactly the kind of document a coordinator helps you obtain from the Indian hospital. Eligibility, the list of accredited hospitals and any funding limits are set by SHA and change over time, so confirm the current rules directly with SHA before you rely on cover — we do not publish figures we cannot source officially.

Your next steps

• Gather your diagnosis and reports — see the documents checklist below.
• Message us with your treatment area; we get your records to a partner hospital and return a written estimate, the invitation letter and, if you need it, the pro-forma invoice.
• If you are pursuing SHA cover, start the referral with your Kenyan hospital early, because the pre-approval takes time.

*This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice. Confirm visa requirements with the relevant Indian mission and your treatment plan with a qualified doctor.*