Telangana, South Africa to cooperate in skilled workforce, medical tourism
Hyderabad, June 3
Telangana and South Africa have agreed to cooperate in the fields of education, medical tourism and investments.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, along with Ministers D. Sridhar Babu and C. Damodar Raja Narsimha, held a key bilateral meeting with a high-level delegation from South Africa led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, here on Wednesday.
According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), both sides agreed to cooperate in the fields of education, medical tourism and investments, with the aim of strengthening educational exchanges, promoting medical tourism and attracting investments for mutual benefit.
The Chief Minister said that Hyderabad's robust educational and skill training ecosystem is serving as a backbone for creating a knowledge hub and a premier hub for engineering talent across IT, pharma, defence and aerospace sectors.
The city is already placed as one of the leading global destinations for setting up of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) of Fortune-500 companies.
He also highlighted the world-class medical and healthcare facilities in Hyderabad, attracting a huge number of people from various countries, including from the Middle East, for availing cost-effective medical treatments.
The state government is working on further strengthening Hyderabad's position as a global hub for skilled workforce and medical tourism, he emphasised.
Recalling the massive success of Telangana Rising Global Summit 2025, the Chief Minister said the event drew global dignitaries, diplomats, and industry leaders, marking an unprecedented economic and developmental success for the state.
He invited the South African leadership to attend this year's Global Summit to be held in December 2026 to enable opening of wider transformative opportunities for businesses and industries on both sides.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also explained plans for building a net-zero, global standard, greenfield infrastructure in 30,000 acres in Bharat Future City, located close to the international airport.
Telangana IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu invited top South African industrialists to further explore opportunities and engage in dialogue for mutual cooperation.
Minister for Health, Medical and Family Welfare as well as Science and Technology, C. Damodar Raja Narsimha, said that Hyderabad is globally known for massive production of bulk drugs and vaccines.
Our (Congress) government is building mega hospitals in Hyderabad to cater to the healthcare needs of our (Telangana) people, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, South Africa Deputy President Paul Mashatile said South Africa and India share a long history of experiences and cultural ties.
South Africa provides a platform from which Indian companies can enjoy preferential market access into the rest of Africa through the African Continental Free Trade Area, he said, adding that it paves way for establishing pharmaceutical companies in South Africa.
The South African delegation included T. Moraka, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation; Ambassador A Sooklal, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to India; A. Motsoaledi, Minister of Health; S. Ndabeni, Minister of Small Business Development; N Gina, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation; M. Gungubele, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technology.
Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, Principal Secretary to CM V. Seshadri, Special Secretary to CM B. Ajith Reddy, Special Chief Secretary (Energy Department) Navin Mittal, Health, Medical and Family Welfare Principal Secretary Christina Z Chongthu, Planning Secretary Gourav Uppal, TGIIC Managing Director K. Shashanka, ITE&C Joint Secretary D. Anudeep, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
— IANS
Reader Comments
South Africa and India have a shared history through Gandhi and the anti-apartheid struggle. This cooperation is a natural extension. But we must ensure this is not just photo ops—actual implementation matters. The Bharat Future City project sounds ambitious, let's see if it delivers.
Interesting collaboration. As an observer from outside India, I see Hyderabad's potential. But isn't medical tourism a bit one-sided? South Africa has excellent doctors too. Maybe it's more about cost advantage for them. Still, any international cooperation is good for global healthcare.
Nice to see Congress government in Telangana doing something different. But my concern: Revanth Reddy should focus on local issues too—farmers in distress, unemployment among youth. Let's not get carried away with foreign delegations and miss the basics. Arre bhai, pehle apna ghar toh theek karo!
Excellent move! Hyderabad's pharma industry is top-notch—we supply vaccines and bulk drugs globally. South Africa can be a gateway to the entire African continent through the African Continental Free Trade Area. This could be a win-win for both sides. Kudos to Sridhar Babu for the vision!
As someone who works in healthcare, I think this partnership is smart—Hyderabad has cutting-edge hospitals at 1/10th the cost of Western countries. But the article doesn't mention how affordable it will be for South African patients. Medical tourism should be accessible, not elitist.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.