Shalby Hospitals

History and background

Shalby Hospitals began in Ahmedabad in 1994 as a joint replacement centre started by Dr. Vikram I. Shah, and over about 30 years has become one of India's fastest-growing multi-specialty tertiary hospital chains across western, central and northern India. The Ahmedabad flagship, Shalby Multispeciality Hospital, is on S. G. Highway near Ramdev Nagar, Satellite, and was founded in 2007. Dr. Shah has been chairman of Shalby and chief of its joint replacement programme since 1993, and received the Dr. B. C. Roy International Award in 2003. In 2025 the group received the Hurun India Healthcare Transformation and Medical Excellence Award and an award for best hospital for medical tourism in Gujarat.

Specialities and centres of excellence

Shalby is renowned worldwide for joint replacement, with more than 150,000 replacements performed. Dr. Shah and his team perform more than 800 primary joint replacements a month, and his ZERO technique has cut the surgical time of a knee replacement from about 80 minutes to about 10 to 12 minutes. The group has also received the Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award and FICCI awards.

Technology and facilities

The SG Highway hospital is accredited by NABH and NABL, with about 200 beds.

International patients

Shalby has a special international patient desk offering video consultations, travel and visa assistance, accommodation help and free airport pickup and drop-off.

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: Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is served by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, which is close to the city, so most hospital transfers take 20 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. The city has a Metro and bus rapid transit system, taxis and ride-hailing apps, and a good range of hotels and serviced apartments around S. G. Highway and the west side of the city. Summers are very hot and dry, the monsoon runs from June to September, and the most comfortable months are November to February. Gujarati, Hindi and English are widely spoken, and vegetarian food is easy to find.