Fortis Malar Hospital

History and background

Fortis Malar Hospital in Adyar, Chennai, was established in 1992 as Malar Hospital and became part of Fortis Healthcare in 2007. It is a 180-bed multi-specialty tertiary-care hospital offering care in over 40 specialities. It is known for its Fortis Centre for Heart Failure and Transplant, described as India's first comprehensive centre for heart failure management.

Specialities and centres of excellence

The hospital's cardiac programme spans interventional, invasive, non-invasive and paediatric cardiology, cardiovascular surgery and heart transplantation. The centre has completed more than 50 heart transplants, long-term LVAD implants and veno-arterial ECMO support for critical heart failure, and is credited with India's first successful Heartmate II LVAD and HVAD implants. Dr. K. R. Balakrishnan, director of cardiac sciences, has more than 30 years of experience, has performed more than 16,000 heart operations, and received the FICCI Special Jury Award. The hospital also offers neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, nephrology, gynaecology, gastroenterology, urology, paediatrics and diabetes care.

Technology and facilities

The hospital is accredited by NABH. Bed capacity figures vary between sources, so patients should confirm current capacity when planning.

International patients

The hospital treats patients from abroad; a recent case involved a successful heart transplant for a 40-year-old Pakistani national. Adyar is a quiet residential area of south Chennai.

How AlisPro MediTours supports your treatment

AlisPro MediTours is a medical travel coordination service, not a hospital. We do not provide medical treatment, and clinical decisions always rest with your treating doctors. What we do is make the journey to this hospital easier to plan and less stressful to manage.

After you send your medical reports through our enquiry form, our coordinators share them with the hospital's international patient team and help you obtain a written opinion and an estimated cost. If you decide to go ahead, we can help with the medical visa invitation letter, flight planning, airport pickup, accommodation near the hospital, local transport, interpreter support and appointment scheduling. During your stay we stay in touch with you and your family, and after you return home we help arrange follow-up consultations and access to your records.

Costs, package inclusions and waiting times vary by hospital, doctor and treatment, so we recommend asking for a written estimate that clearly states what is and is not included.

Before you travel

Preparation makes a big difference to how smoothly a medical trip goes. Gather your recent medical reports, imaging (with the discs or digital files), a list of current medicines and any previous operation summaries, and share them early so the hospital can give a realistic opinion before you travel.

Ask the hospital or your coordinator for the expected length of stay, the likely total cost and what it includes, whether a family member may accompany you, and what follow-up will be needed after you return home. Confirm the treating doctor's name, the accreditation of the department you will use and how emergencies are handled.

Most international patients enter India on a medical visa, which normally requires an invitation letter from the hospital. Check the validity of your passport, arrange travel insurance that covers medical travel where possible, and plan for extra days in case treatment or recovery takes longer than expected. Keep copies of all documents on your phone and in your luggage.

Travel guide: Chennai

Chennai is served by Chennai International Airport, and most hospitals are 30 to 60 minutes away by road depending on traffic. The city has a Metro, suburban trains, taxis and ride-hailing apps, and a wide choice of hotels and serviced apartments, with Adyar, Alwarpet and the IT corridor popular for medical visitors. The weather is hot and humid for much of the year, with the north-east monsoon from October to December, and the most comfortable months run from December to February. Tamil and English are widely spoken, and many hospital staff also speak Hindi.