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In a major step towards strengthening the quality, credibility and global competitiveness of India's Ayush and medical value travel ecosystem, the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) India is set to launch certification schemes for Ayush Wellness Centres and Medical Value Travel Facilitators (MVTFs).
Developed in collaboration with the Association of Healthcare Providers (AHPI), the new certification programmes are aligned with international ISO standards and aim to establish globally accepted quality benchmarks, enhance consumer confidence, and support India's ambition of emerging as a trusted destination for holistic healthcare and medical value travel.
The SEPC India is preparing to roll out certification schemes for Ayush Wellness Centres and MVTFs, marking a significant milestone in standardising India's rapidly growing wellness and medical value travel sectors. The initiative is designed to demonstrate compliance with internationally recognised ISO standards while enhancing the credibility of Indian Ayush services in domestic and global markets.
The certification programmes have been finalised by SEPC in association with the Association of Healthcare Providers (AHPI) India. These include the Ayush Wellness Centre Certification Programme based on ISO 21426, customised to suit Ayush systems, the Wellness Spa Certification Programme aligned with ISO 17693, and the Medical Value Travel Facilitators Certification Programme based on ISO 22525.
By introducing structured certification mechanisms, SEPC aims to bridge a long-standing gap in the healthcare quality ecosystem where Ayush wellness centres and MVTFs lacked recognised certification despite the existence of global standards.
According to Anil Jauhri, former chief executive officer of the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), organisations certified under SEPC's certification schemes are expected to become eligible for the Ayush Quality Mark of the Union Ministry of Ayush. He said the quality mark would serve as a key differentiator by building consumer confidence in Ayush products and services both within India and internationally.
Jauhri explained that the Ayush Quality Mark was introduced to create a trusted benchmark for quality and authenticity for specific categories of Ayush products and services that comply with globally accepted standards. However, while hospitals already had access to several Indian and international accreditation mechanisms, Ayush Wellness Centres and Medical Value Travel Facilitators remained outside the ambit of any certification or accreditation framework.
He noted that when the criteria for the Ayush Quality Mark were developed under his chairmanship, it became evident that despite the availability of ISO standards for both sectors, no certification or accreditation programme existed to validate compliance. This created a gap in India's healthcare quality ecosystem and highlighted the need for an institutional mechanism that could recognise organisations adhering to international standards.
The forthcoming certification schemes are expected to address this gap by creating an internationally credible assessment framework that encourages quality improvement, enhances transparency, and promotes best practices across the Ayush wellness and medical value travel sectors.
According to experts, “The initiative also supports the broader objective of positioning India as a preferred global destination for wellness tourism and medical value travel by assuring international patients and wellness travellers of globally benchmarked services. With quality certification becoming increasingly important in international healthcare and wellness markets, the schemes are expected to strengthen India's export potential in services while reinforcing trust among consumers, healthcare providers, facilitators, regulators and international stakeholders.”
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