Hyderabad: Telangana has emerged as one of the costliest states for hospitalisation in India, topping the charts in treatment expenses for several major illnesses and consistently ranking among the most expensive across a wide range of conditions.
A survey by the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows the state leads the country in treatment costs for four key disease categories — heart ailments, infections, injuries and eye conditions — while also featuring among the top three to five most expensive states in the majority of others.
The state sits at the top of the table among four disease costs such as treatment of heart diseases for Rs 95,095 (70% higher), infections Rs 24,496 (56% higher), injuries Rs 77,518 (54% higher), and eye conditions Rs 28,897 (77% higher).
Among the rest six, Telangana is positioned either in the top three or five — cancer for Rs 94,047 (20% higher), blood diseases for Rs 38,258 (82% higher), endocrine/metabolic for Rs 50,000 (60% higher), psychiatric/neurological disorders for Rs 79,769 (61% higher), genito-urinary for Rs 45,000 (55% higher) and other diseases for Rs 35,000-Rs 40,000 (around 50% to 60% higher).
Similarly, among the rest seven ailments — respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, maternal care and childbirth-related hospitalisation — healthcare costs in Telangana are consistently above the national average, typically 40% to 80% higher.
Health experts say the data shows a comparatively higher out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for patients in Telangana. This could be driven by a greater reliance on private healthcare facilities, higher procedure costs and increased use of advanced diagnostics and treatments.
Senior public health expert Dr Burri Ranga Reddy says India, including Telangana, is a classic case of “missing middle” in healthcare delivery, as over-reliance on high-cost corporate hospitals and under-capacity govt health sector is forcing patients into high-cost pathways even for moderate conditions.
“We are witnessing the financialisation of healthcare, where medical decisions are increasingly influenced by return-on-investment expectations. Cost escalation is being driven less by bed charges and more by diagnostic intensity and protocol inflation. Advanced diagnostics do not always translate into better outcomes. MRI/CT/endoscopy overuse is flagged as cost-escalating factor at least in some of the corporate hospitals,” he added.
Telangana socio-economic survey 2026 shows that at present, nearly 10% of household loans in Telangana are taken for health-related expenses, most of them arising from emergencies. “When 10% of loans are for healthcare, it signals systemic failure — not individual affordability issues. While Hyderabad is attracting global patients for affordability, the same is becoming unaffordable for its own residents,” said Dr Ranga Reddy.
Dr Karthik Nagula, president, Telangana Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), said the findings highlight the harsh reality faced by patients in Telangana, where many leave hospitals in financial distress, making affordability a serious public issue. “High treatment costs across unrelated diseases point to systemic pricing problems in the private sector, driven by poor price transparency, unchecked billing, heavy reliance on corporate hospitals, and weak public healthcare infrastructure,” he added.
He also flagged growing commercialisation, where treatment decisions are sometimes influenced by profit motives rather than patient needs, along with the lack of strict regulation on procedure and package costs, which continues to increase the burden on patients.
Meanwhile, cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in India (nearly 31% of all deaths), are also the costliest to treat in Telangana. Data shows that a heart ailment admission in a private hospital costs Rs 95,095 — around 70% higher than the national average of Rs 55,870.
Moreover, Telangana is the only state where heart disease treatment costs exceed cancer care.While it averages Rs 95,095, cancer treatment stands slightly lower at Rs 94,047 — reversing the pattern seen across the rest of the country. Tamil Nadu leads the pan-India chart with a priivate hospital cancer admission running to Rs 1.35 lakh – 72% above the national average of Rs 78,657. Delhi at Rs 1.33 follows while every other state falls well short.
Diabetes, a condition most likely to put a patient in a cardiac ward, is highly prevalent in Telangana, with Hyderabad being dubbed as one of the diabetes capitals of India.
Dr D Srinath, president of the Telangana Senior Doctors Residents Association, said most heart diseases are caused by blockages in blood vessels due to high cholesterol, which is linked to poor diet and lack of physical activity. He noted that lifestyle habits in Telangana are a major reason for the rising number of heart cases. “Treatment costs are increasing mainly because there are very few cath labs in govt hospitals, forcing patients to depend on private hospitals. These private facilities often charge high fees, with limited regulation or monitoring of costs by the govt,” he added.
To address rising healthcare costs, health experts emphasised that a multi-pronged approach is essential: strengthening of public hospitals, regulation and standardisation of private treatment costs, and mandating transparent billing.
While Dr Nagula said that the govt should expand schemes like Aarogyasri with realistic coverage, and enforce regular audits of private hospitals, Dr Ranga Reddy said Hyderabad requires a balanced three-tier system — strong primary and secondary care with an effective referral network — to reduce overdependence on costly tertiary care and keep healthcare affordable.
