Home/Iraq
Knee & Hip Replacement in Mumbai
for Patients from Iraq
What a patient travelling from Iraq actually needs to know: the flight, the visa, what to budget, and who looks after you once you are back in Baghdad.
Personal reply from Dr. Kachare within 24 hours (IST). Free for international patients: X-ray review and first video consultation, with no obligation. You deal with him personally, start to finish. Prefer email? theprotonium@protonmail.com
Getting Here
The Journey from Baghdad
Iraqi Airways flies direct between Baghdad and Mumbai, about five and a half hours, on a few days a week. On other days the usual route is one stop through a Gulf hub such as Dubai or Doha. From Erbil, Basra or Najaf you will usually connect.
Book the return around the direct flight if you can — one sector is much easier than two after a knee or hip replacement.
Paperwork
Your Visa Route
Iraq is not on the e-Visa list, so Iraqi patients need a regular medical visa from the Embassy of India in Baghdad or the Consulate General in Erbil. The Embassy lists what it expects with the application: an invitation letter with a barcode from a recognised hospital in India, a recommendation letter from your treating doctor in Iraq, and proof that you can pay for treatment and the stay.
Up to two family members can travel as medical attendants, and their names and passport numbers must appear in the hospital’s letter — so decide who is coming before the letter is issued. Allow several weeks for the visa.
The full medical visa guide — which visa, the invitation letter, and attendant visas →
Cost
What You Should Budget
Indian hospitals quote a surgical package, and the implant is not included in it. Ask that question of anyone quoting you a price, anywhere in India.
A single knee or hip runs roughly $3,400 to $5,000 for the package and implant together; both knees in one trip, $5,300 to $8,000. Flights, visa, accommodation and physiotherapy after discharge sit outside that.
While You Are Here
Language, Practicalities and Timing
Consultations with Dr. Kachare are in English. Arabic interpreter support for your hospital stay can be arranged — ask when your estimate is being prepared, rather than assuming it is included.
Bring a written list of your medications using generic names, and any previous operative notes and imaging, including original films if you have them.
Afterwards
Follow-Up Once You Are Home
You leave with the complete file — operative notes, implant make, model and batch numbers, discharge summary and imaging — so an orthopedic surgeon in Baghdad, Erbil or Basra can take over routine care. Video review with Dr. Kachare continues at six weeks, three months and one year.
If a serious problem appears months later you will be treated where you are, not in Mumbai — that is true of every medical travel arrangement anywhere. What reduces the risk is complete documentation and a surgeon who stays reachable.
Next Step
Start by Sending Your Imaging
Free for international patients: X-ray review and first video consultation, with no obligation. Neither requires you to travel. Send your X-rays or CT on WhatsApp or by email with a short history — your age, how long the pain has lasted, what has already been tried, and any previous surgery — and you will get a personal reply from Dr. Kachare, the surgeon who would operate, within 24 hours (IST).
The first video consultation is free, so you can see him and ask your questions before anything is booked. You deal with him personally, start to finish. If the honest answer is that you do not need surgery yet, or that it is better done closer to home, you will be told that.
Iraq
Travelling from Iraq — Frequently Asked
For a medical visa, the Embassy in Baghdad asks for a barcoded invitation letter from a recognised hospital in India, a recommendation letter from your treating doctor in Iraq, and proof of funds for treatment and the stay. Dr. Kachare arranges the hospital letter once you have decided to go ahead; the rest comes from you.
Up to two family members can travel as medical attendants. Their names and passport numbers must be written into the hospital’s invitation letter, so tell Dr. Kachare who is coming before the letter is issued.
Plan on about three weeks in Mumbai for one knee or hip, and around a week more for both knees, ending with a fitness-to-fly review. Do not book a fixed return until the surgery date is confirmed.
Send your X-ray or CT on WhatsApp for an assessment from the surgeon
Personal reply from Dr. Kachare within 24 hours (IST). Free for international patients: X-ray review and first video consultation, with no obligation. You deal with the surgeon personally, start to finish. Email: theprotonium@protonmail.com · How the free X-ray review works →