This study investigates how the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) contributes to digital stratification within India’s medical tourism sector, shaping patient experiences and reinforcing inequalities across socioeconomic groups. Using a pragmatic mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 587 international medical tourists and 133 healthcare professionals across six major Indian medical tourism destinations during 2023–24. The study proposes and empirically tests an AI Medical Tourism Equity Framework that synthesizes social capital theory, self-determination theory, and digital divide perspectives, employing structural equation modeling alongside thematic analysis. Findings indicate that social capital is the strongest mediator of GenAI adoption (β = 0.42, p < 0.001), outweighing conventional technology adoption predictors. Digital autonomy (β = 0.31) and perceived competence (β = 0.25) significantly enhance patient satisfaction, while access-related barriers (β = −0.28) disproportionately exclude socioeconomically vulnerable groups. The integrated framework explains 79% of the variance in AI-enabled medical tourism satisfaction, revealing sharp adoption disparities between premium destinations (89%) and budget-oriented destinations (58%). The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and India-specific focus, which may constrain broader generalizability. Nevertheless, it extends existing healthcare technology literature by foregrounding the social mediation of AI adoption. Practically, the findings underscore the need for community-oriented, culturally sensitive AI implementation strategies and policy interventions targeting infrastructure, digital literacy, and algorithmic fairness. The study’s originality lies in advancing a human-centered, equity-focused framework that challenges efficiency-driven AI paradigms in global healthcare delivery.

Keywords

Medical Tourism, Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare Equity, Social Capital and Digital Divide.