A brain tumour, a spinal cord problem or epilepsy that will not respond to medicine are some of the hardest diagnoses a family can receive. In much of Africa, there are only a few neurosurgeons for millions of people, and advanced tools such as Gamma Knife, CyberKnife or deep brain stimulation are rare or unavailable.
India is one of the main places African patients turn to for this kind of surgery. Its senior neurosurgeons have each operated on thousands of brain and spine cases, the technology is in place, and brain tumour surgery starts from around USD 5,500 at an accredited Delhi hospital.
This guide names 10 of the most experienced brain and spine surgeons in India and explains what the trip looks like from Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana and Mauritius.
Quick answer
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Brain tumour surgery cost in India | From USD 5,500 |
| Spine decompression and fixation | From USD 5,500 |
| Gamma Knife or CyberKnife | From USD 7,000 |
| Deep brain stimulation (DBS) | From USD 18,000 |
| Time in hospital | 7 to 10 days for brain tumour surgery, 4 to 7 days for spine surgery |
| Total time in India | About 3 to 4 weeks for brain surgery, 2 to 3 weeks for spine surgery |
| Where the surgeons are | Delhi NCR: New Delhi, Gurugram and Noida |
For more background, see neurosurgery in India and spine surgery in India.
How We Chose These 10 Surgeons
We used four tests:
- Experience. Every surgeon here has at least 19 years in practice, and seven have more than 28. Where a profile publishes an operation count, we include it.
- Hospital standard. Each one operates at a JCI and/or NABH accredited hospital with a neuro ICU, intraoperative imaging and an international patient desk.
- Range of work. Between them, they cover brain tumours, skull base and pituitary surgery, Gamma Knife and CyberKnife, epilepsy surgery, deep brain stimulation, children’s neurosurgery and complex spine surgery.
- Remote review before travel. Each team will review an MRI or CT scan sent from abroad and give a written plan and cost before you travel.
The list is grouped by focus, not ranked. You can compare their hospitals on our best hospitals for neurosurgery in India page.
The Top 10 Neurosurgeons in India (2026)
| # | Surgeon | Hospital and city | Experience | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr Aditya Gupta | Artemis, Gurugram | 32+ years, 10,000+ brain tumour surgeries | Brain tumours, CyberKnife and Gamma Knife |
| 2 | Dr Sandeep Vaishya | Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram | 30+ years | Skull base tumours, Gamma Knife |
| 3 | Dr Rana Patir | Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram | 32+ years, 10,000+ procedures | Skull base and neurovascular surgery |
| 4 | Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi | Indraprastha Apollo, New Delhi | 33+ years, 9,000+ procedures | Pituitary tumours, deep brain stimulation |
| 5 | Prof (Col) Dr Bipin Walia | Max Saket, New Delhi | 29+ years | Endoscopic brain and spine surgery |
| 6 | Dr Arun Saroha | Max Saket, New Delhi | 28+ years, 8,000+ procedures | Brain and spine tumours |
| 7 | Dr Rahul Gupta | Fortis Hospital, Noida | 20+ years, 10,000+ procedures | Endoscopic skull base, children’s neurosurgery |
| 8 | Dr Harnarayan Singh | Shalby Sanar International, Gurugram | 19+ years | Epilepsy, spinal cord stimulation, nerve pain |
| 9 | Dr H N Bajaj | Max Saket, New Delhi | 43+ years | Spinal injury, infection and tumours |
| 10 | Dr Rajesh Verma | Shalby Sanar International, Gurugram | 28+ years, 14,000+ personal cases | Keyhole and percutaneous spine surgery |
Operation counts are as published on each surgeon’s profile. They show experience, not results.
Brain and skull base surgeons
1. Dr Aditya Gupta, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram
Dr Gupta is Chairperson of Neurosurgery and CNS Radiosurgery and Co-Chief of the CyberKnife Centre at Artemis Hospital. He trained at AIIMS, New Delhi, and his profile lists more than 10,000 brain tumour operations and over 6,000 radiosurgery treatments in 32 years.
He also works in epilepsy surgery, deep brain stimulation and blood vessel problems in the brain, and received the Chief of Army Staff Award in 2012.
Best for: brain tumours where open surgery, radiosurgery or both might be needed. View Dr Gupta’s profile.
2. Dr Sandeep Vaishya, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram
Dr Vaishya is Executive Director and Head of Neurosurgery at Fortis Memorial Research Institute. After his MCh, he completed the Sundt Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, USA, and he won the Herbert Krause Medal for the best paper in neuro-oncology in 2001.
With 30 years of practice, he works on skull base and deep brain tumours, Gamma Knife radiosurgery and brachial plexus injuries of the nerves to the arm.
Best for: tumours at the base of the skull and brachial plexus injuries after road accidents. View Dr Vaishya’s profile.
3. Dr Rana Patir, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram
Dr Patir is Chairman of Neurosurgery at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, with 32 years of experience and more than 10,000 procedures. He trained in neurosurgery in Newcastle, UK.
He is known for minimally invasive brain and spine surgery, skull base surgery and bypass surgery for blood vessels in the brain. He also treats epilepsy and children with neurosurgical problems.
Best for: aneurysms, blocked brain arteries and complex skull base cases. View Dr Patir’s profile.
4. Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi
Dr Tyagi is Senior Consultant in Neurosurgery at Indraprastha Apollo, with 33 years of experience and more than 9,000 procedures. He received the Vishisht Chikitsa Ratan Award from the Delhi Medical Association in 2015.
He removes pituitary tumours through the nose, without opening the skull, and does skull base and spine surgery and deep brain stimulation for movement disorders.
Best for: pituitary tumours and Parkinson’s disease that no longer responds well to medicine. View Dr Tyagi’s profile.
5. Prof (Col) Dr Bipin Walia, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket
Dr Walia is Chairman and Head of Neurosurgery and Neurospine at Max Saket. He trained at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, and did his MCh at AIIMS, New Delhi, and has 29 years in practice.
He uses image-guided and endoscopic techniques for brain tumours and spinal tumours, as well as artificial disc replacement in the neck and lower back.
Best for: patients who want the smallest possible incision for brain or spine surgery. View Dr Walia’s profile.
6. Dr Arun Saroha, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket
Dr Saroha is Vice Chairman and Unit Head of Spine and Neurosurgery at Max Saket, with 28 years of experience and more than 8,000 procedures. He trained at PGIMER Chandigarh and was named Best Spine Surgeon at the BIG Research Awards in 2013.
He treats brain and spinal tumours, worn-out spines, and complex spinal fixation, and also operates on children.
Best for: patients who need both brain and spine expertise from one surgeon. View Dr Saroha’s profile.
7. Dr Rahul Gupta, Fortis Hospital, Noida
Dr Gupta is Senior Director and Head of Neuro and Spine Surgery at Fortis Hospital Noida, with more than 10,000 procedures. He received the Sugita Scholarship at Nagoya University, Japan, in 2011 and has written around 55 papers.
He does endoscopic skull base surgery, complex brain tumours, blood vessel problems in the brain and neurosurgery for children.
Best for: children with brain tumours or hydrocephalus. View Dr Gupta’s profile.
Spine, epilepsy and pain specialists
8. Dr Harnarayan Singh, Shalby Sanar International Hospital, Gurugram
Dr Singh is a neurosurgeon and spine and pain specialist at Shalby Sanar International Hospital. He trained at PGIMER Chandigarh and has 19 years of experience.
He focuses on neuromodulation: spinal cord stimulators for chronic back and leg pain, vagus nerve stimulators for epilepsy, and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, a severe facial nerve pain.
Best for: epilepsy that medicine does not control and long-term pain after failed spine surgery. View Dr Singh’s profile.
9. Dr H N Bajaj, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket
Dr Bajaj is Principal Director of Orthopaedics and Head of Spine Surgery at Max Saket, with 43 years of experience, the longest on this list.
He treats spinal injuries, spinal infections such as spinal tuberculosis, spinal cancer, slipped discs and spinal stenosis.
Best for: spinal tuberculosis and spinal fractures, both of which are common referrals from Africa. View Dr Bajaj’s profile.
10. Dr Rajesh Verma, Shalby Sanar International Hospital, Gurugram
Dr Verma is Chairman of Orthopaedics, Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery at Shalby Sanar International Hospital. His profile lists more than 28,000 surgical cases by his team, including over 14,000 he performed himself.
He is known for percutaneous spine surgery, done through needle-sized openings, which usually means a shorter hospital stay.
Best for: slipped discs and lower back problems in patients who want the least invasive option. View Dr Verma’s profile.
For more specialists, see our lists of top neurosurgeons in India and top spine surgeons in India.
Which Brain or Spine Operation Do You Need?
These are the neurosurgical procedures patients from Africa travel to India for most often, with starting prices at our partner hospitals:
| Procedure | What it treats | Starting cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Brain tumour surgery | Benign and malignant tumours removed through a craniotomy | 5,500 |
| Gamma Knife or CyberKnife | Small tumours and blood vessel problems treated with focused radiation, no cut | 7,000 |
| VP shunt surgery | Hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain), common in babies and after tumours | 6,000 |
| Epilepsy surgery | Seizures that medicines cannot control | 6,000 |
| Deep brain stimulation | Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and tremor | 18,000 |
| Spinal decompression and fixation | Spinal tuberculosis, fractures, tumours and nerve compression | 5,500 |
| Cervical and lumbar spine surgery | Slipped discs in the neck or lower back | 5,500 |
| Robotic spinal fusion | Unstable spine, with screws placed by a robot | 8,000 |
| Spinal cord stimulator | Long-term back and leg pain after failed surgery | 28,000 |
| Spina bifida surgery for children | Babies born with an open spine | 3,500 |
The final price depends on the size and position of a tumour, the implants used and the time in ICU. A free review of your MRI gives you a written estimate before you travel.
Brain tumour surgery or radiosurgery?
Not every brain tumour needs a cut. Small tumours, usually under about 3 cm, and certain blood vessel problems can be treated with Gamma Knife or CyberKnife in a day or two, with no stay in ICU. Larger tumours, or tumours pressing on the brain, usually need surgery first. Dr Aditya Gupta and Dr Sandeep Vaishya both do open surgery and radiosurgery, so they can advise on either without bias.
Neurosurgery Cost in India in Your Currency
Here are three common treatments converted into each country’s currency:
| Country | Brain tumour or spine surgery (from USD 5,500) | Gamma Knife or CyberKnife (from USD 7,000) | Deep brain stimulation (from USD 18,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | about ₦7.3 million | about ₦9.3 million | about ₦24 million |
| Tanzania | about TSh 14.5 million | about TSh 18.5 million | about TSh 47.5 million |
| Uganda | about USh 19.3 million | about USh 24.5 million | about USh 63 million |
| Ethiopia | about 902,000 Birr | about 1.15 million Birr | about 2.95 million Birr |
| Mozambique | about 351,000 MT | about 447,000 MT | about 1.15 million MT |
| Kenya | about KSh 712,000 | about KSh 907,000 | about KSh 2.33 million |
| Ghana | about GH₵ 66,000 | about GH₵ 84,000 | about GH₵ 216,000 |
| Mauritius | about Rs 253,000 | about Rs 322,000 | about Rs 828,000 |
Converted at approximate October 2026 exchange rates. Hospitals quote and bill in US dollars.
What the package covers
- Surgeon, anaesthetist and operating theatre fees
- Neuro ICU and ward stay for the planned number of days
- Scans and tests during the stay, including a scan after surgery
- Standard implants such as screws, rods or a shunt
What you pay on top
- Flights and visas for the patient and one family member
- A hotel near the hospital for 1 to 2 weeks after discharge
- Radiotherapy or chemotherapy if the tumour needs it after surgery
- Physiotherapy sessions after spine surgery, and take-home medicines such as anti-seizure tablets
For a full trip budget, read our guide to the real cost of a surgery trip to India.
Getting to India: Flights and Visas by Country
All 10 surgeons work in Delhi NCR, so families fly into Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. Gurugram and Noida are 30 to 60 minutes by road from the airport.
| Country | Usual route to Delhi |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | From Lagos or Abuja with one stop, usually Addis Ababa, Dubai or Doha |
| Tanzania | From Dar es Salaam via Mumbai, Nairobi, Addis Ababa or Dubai |
| Uganda | From Entebbe via Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Dubai or Doha |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian Airlines flies non-stop from Addis Ababa to Delhi |
| Mozambique | From Maputo via Johannesburg, Addis Ababa or Nairobi |
| Kenya | Kenya Airways to Mumbai, then a domestic flight; or via Addis Ababa or Dubai |
| Ghana | From Accra via Addis Ababa, Dubai or Nairobi |
| Mauritius | Air Mauritius to Mumbai, then a domestic flight |
Airline routes change, so confirm schedules when you book. A patient with a brain tumour, recent seizures or a spinal injury should get a fitness-to-fly letter from their doctor at home, and may need a wheelchair or stretcher. Ask the airline at least 48 hours before the flight.
Visa steps
- Get the hospital invitation letter. The hospital issues it after reviewing your MRI or CT scan. It names the patient, the attendant and the treatment.
- Apply for the e-Medical visa on the official Indian e-Visa website [nofollow] if your nationality is eligible.
- Apply for the attendant visa at the same time. Up to two family members can travel on linked e-Medical Attendant visas.
- If your country is not eligible for the e-Visa, apply for a regular medical visa at the Indian High Commission or Embassy.
More detail: e-Medical visa vs regular medical visa and our medical visa guide for Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia. Our team arranges the invitation letter through free medical visa assistance.
How Long You Will Stay and What Recovery Looks Like
| Treatment | Hospital stay | Total time in India |
|---|---|---|
| Brain tumour surgery | 7 to 10 days | About 3 to 4 weeks |
| Gamma Knife or CyberKnife | 1 to 2 days | About 1 week |
| Spine decompression and fixation | 4 to 7 days | About 2 to 3 weeks |
| Slipped disc surgery | 2 to 3 days | About 10 days |
| VP shunt | 3 to 5 days | About 2 weeks |
The extra time outside hospital is for stitch removal, a follow-up scan, and for brain tumours, the biopsy result. The biopsy tells the doctors whether radiotherapy or chemotherapy is needed next. If it is, ask whether it can be done at home or must be done in India before you leave.
After you go home
- Medicines: many patients take anti-seizure tablets for some months after brain surgery. Check they are available at home before you leave India.
- Driving: most patients should not drive for some months after brain surgery or a seizure. Your surgeon will tell you how long.
- Physiotherapy: after spine surgery, daily exercises matter as much as the operation. Your team will give you a home programme.
- Follow-up scans: an MRI at 3 months and then as advised. Your Indian surgeon can review it online and send a written opinion to your local doctor.
How to Choose the Right Neurosurgeon
Start from the diagnosis:
| If you need | Look first at |
|---|---|
| Brain tumour surgery or radiosurgery | Dr Aditya Gupta, Dr Sandeep Vaishya |
| Skull base tumour, aneurysm or blocked brain artery | Dr Rana Patir, Dr Sandeep Vaishya |
| Pituitary tumour or Parkinson’s disease | Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi |
| Neurosurgery for a child | Dr Rahul Gupta, Dr Arun Saroha |
| Epilepsy that medicines do not control | Dr Aditya Gupta, Dr Harnarayan Singh |
| Spinal tuberculosis, fracture or spinal tumour | Dr H N Bajaj, Dr Arun Saroha |
| Slipped disc, keyhole surgery | Dr Rajesh Verma, Prof (Col) Dr Bipin Walia |
Then ask each team these questions in writing:
- Can this be treated without open surgery, for example with radiosurgery or an endoscope?
- What are the main risks to speech, movement or vision in my case?
- Will I need radiotherapy, chemotherapy or physiotherapy afterwards, and where?
- What does the package include, and how many ICU days?
- When can I safely fly home?
Send the same MRI to two or three of these surgeons and compare their written plans. Our article on getting an online second opinion from Indian doctors explains how. If you are planning your first trip, start with our medical treatment in India planning guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best neurosurgeon in India?
There is no single best neurosurgeon for every case. Dr Aditya Gupta (Artemis), Dr Sandeep Vaishya and Dr Rana Patir (both at Fortis Memorial Research Institute) are among the most experienced brain surgeons in India. For spine problems, Dr H N Bajaj and Dr Rajesh Verma are strong choices.
Who is the best brain tumour surgeon in Delhi?
Dr Aditya Gupta has performed more than 10,000 brain tumour operations and runs the CyberKnife centre at Artemis, Gurugram. Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi at Indraprastha Apollo specialises in pituitary tumours.
How much does brain tumour surgery cost in India for a Nigerian patient?
Brain tumour surgery starts from about USD 5,500, roughly ₦7.3 million at October 2026 rates. Radiotherapy, if needed afterwards, is extra.
What is the cost of spine surgery in India for patients from Kenya or Uganda?
Spine decompression and fixation starts from about USD 5,500, roughly KSh 712,000 or USh 19.3 million. A simple slipped disc operation usually costs less.
Can spinal tuberculosis be treated in India?
Yes. Most cases are treated with TB medicines first, and surgery is added when the spine is unstable or nerves are compressed. Spine surgeons such as Dr H N Bajaj treat this regularly.
Can patients from Tanzania, Ghana or Mozambique get an opinion before travelling?
Yes. Send the MRI or CT scan images on a CD or online link, the radiologist’s report and your doctor’s letter. These teams will review them and send a written plan and cost estimate, usually within a few days.
How long will a patient from Ethiopia or Mauritius stay in India for brain surgery?
About 3 to 4 weeks for open brain tumour surgery and about 1 week for Gamma Knife or CyberKnife.
Is it safe to fly after brain surgery?
Most patients can fly home 2 to 3 weeks after surgery once the surgeon clears them. The surgeon checks the scan and wound first, and the hospital gives a fitness-to-fly letter for the airline.
Get a Free Opinion from India’s Top Neurosurgeons
If you or someone in your family has a brain tumour, a spine problem or epilepsy that will not settle, and you live in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana or Mauritius, the first step is free. Send us the MRI or CT images, the radiologist’s report and your doctor’s letter.
Our team at Nobel Medi Assistance will share your case with two or three of the surgeons above and send back their written opinions, cost estimates and a travel plan, usually within 24 hours. We prepare the hospital invitation letter for your visa, arrange admission and meet you at Delhi airport. Our help costs patients nothing, and you pay the hospital directly.
Get your free opinion or message us on WhatsApp at +91 85868 19140.
This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Surgeon details are taken from published hospital and profile information as of October 2026 and may change. Treatment decisions are made by the treating doctors.
