Miss World 2025 contestants visit AIG Hospitals in Hyderabad, highlight Telangana’s role in global medical tourism

Hyderabad: In a first, the 72nd Miss World 2025 has taken an initiative to promote medical tourism and visited AIG Hospitals in Hyderabad.

This initiative is to blend global health with glamour. Hyderabad is a hub of healthcare innovation and facilities and blending cultural vibrancy will give medical sector an edge.

Contestants from the Africa Group

As many as 25 contestants from the Africa Group, along with contestants who are doctors or psychologists from other groups, including Guadeloupe, Turkey, Wales, Bosnia, Puerto Rico, Belgium, Guatemala, Lebanon, Malaysia, Poland, France, Northern Ireland, Guyana and Malta, visited AIG Hospitals.

They were welcomed with rose petals and a shehnai performance at the hospital.

Lifesize cutouts

The contestants had a unique opportunity to pose for photographs alongside life-sized cutouts of themselves, which they also personally signed. The program commenced with a warm welcome and an overview of AIG Hospitals’ legacy delivered by Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman of AIG Hospitals. Following the introduction, the contestants were divided into two groups for an immersive walkthrough of the hospital facilities.

Hospital tour

The tour included visits to the Endoscopy Suites, AI Experience Centre, Chemo Ward with patient interactions, the Research Centre, Skill Labs, and the Pediatric Ward, guided by senior medical professionals including Dr Nageshwar Reddy, Dr Sujana Priya, Dr GV Rao, and Dr Lakshmi.

Dr Nageshwar Reddy felicitated the contestants, after which he led an insightful interactive talk titled The Future of Healthcare. This was followed by a presentation on public health initiatives by the Telangana Government, focusing on cancer and women’s health programs, delivered by Dr Christina Z Chongthu, secretary to the Government, Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department.

Highlighting Hyderabad’s emergence as a global medical tourism hub, Dr Nageshwar Reddy said, “Telangana is rapidly becoming a beacon of medical excellence, combining world-class infrastructure and cutting-edge technology with compassionate care. Hosting the Miss World event here shines a global spotlight on our healthcare advancements, and we are proud to showcase the city’s growing role as a leading destination for medical tourists.”

Contestants are doctors, medical students

Julia Morley CBE, chairman and CEO of the Miss World Organisation, said, “We are delighted that the Miss World Festival can provide a platform to highlight Hyderabad’s impressive healthcare ecosystem. Among our candidates we have doctors, psychologists and students of medical science and psychology, who are pleased to learn about the local medical care and facilities and share the information when they go back home. We are pleased to bring international attention to Telangana’s commitment to world-class medical care.”

Hyderabad’s medical tourism sector has witnessed remarkable growth, with foreign patient inflows more than doubling over the past decade.

Telangana medical tourism hub

From just over 75,000 foreign patients in 2014, Telangana attracted 1.55 lakh international medical tourists in 2024. On the domestic front, nearly 8.82 crore patients from other Indian States sought medical care in Telangana last year alone. Strategic investments from both the government and private equity have transformed Telangana into a highly accessible and affordable healthcare destination.