“I am very satisfied with the treatment in India; it is like a new life. There was a time when I was unable to walk. My body would tilt to one side while walking,” said a senior citizen from Bangladesh, on condition of anonymity, while he is currently getting treatment in a private hospital in Kolkata along with his wife, after their visas were issued a few months ago.
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“My wife has been getting treatment for two years. We were told to get dialysis done in Bangladesh, but dialysis is not required. I am getting her treatment done here, which has been successful. She had orthopaedic, nerve, and hip-related issues,” added the Bangladeshi patient.
The decision by Bangladesh to suspend visas and consular services at its High Commission in Delhi has put the country’s patients in a dilemma, with many suffering from serious ailments that need immediate attention. Most patients from Bangladesh come to Indian hospitals for general medicine, cardiology, neurology, and gastroenterology problems. A few surgical cases also come for consultation, with rare cases of cardiothoracic surgeries. The age group is usually from 30 to 65–70 years
“There are a lot of problems. There is a lot of unrest there (Bangladesh), and many are unable to get the right treatment. It is a racket with middlemen. The government healthcare system does not work well; we cannot get through to doctors directly, and we don’t get appointments. When we get a slot, the right treatment is not given. It is a racket,” added the patient.
“The usual protocol is that they send an email to us and give us a summary of the medical issue, based on which we create an appointment in our system, which is then shared with the patient’s relative. The patient’s relative then approaches the medical visa counter on the basis of the appointment given by the hospital authorities. This process is continuing for the earlier patients,” said a senior administrative official at Peerless Hospital.
“New requests for appointments have now come down. Earlier, we used to receive around 100 requests per day, and we are now getting around 50 requests per day,” added the senior official at Peerless Hospital.
“The average number of patients that doctors deal with in Bangladesh compared to India is higher. This is the issue that doctors are dealing with in Bangladesh—a higher number of cases and fewer infrastructure facilities.”
Bangladeshi patients feel that corporate hospitals in Kolkata are far better than those in Bangladesh, as the share of corporate hospitals there is far less, with the majority of patients in the government healthcare system.
About 6,00,000 patients come to India for treatment every year from Bangladesh, of which 1,00,000 stay back for treatment in Kolkata, while 500,000 patients get dispersed across other parts of the country, like South India and Delhi.
Manipal Hospitals, which has 10 hospitals in Eastern India, with five in Kolkata, has engaged with the local Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh. “Bangladesh has multiple chambers, and the idea was to encourage business processes that are ethical and consistent. There are lots of middlemen who, in the garb of helping, would actually cause more damage to the ecosystem of trust and transparency. So the idea was that if we can establish direct channels of communication, B2B interactions would be through chambers of commerce, who would then take responsibility for authentic organisations in Bangladesh and authentic organisations in India, or Kolkata for that matter,” said Ayanabh Debgupta, Regional Chief Operating Officer, Manipal Hospital (East).
“For B2C, we thought it was also very important as healthcare providers, and as an association of healthcare providers in Eastern India, to connect with consumers or patients directly.
The rotational bodies we were talking to across various districts in Bangladesh, where we want to establish a direct connection,” added Debgupta.
Challenges emerged, such as going and seeing patients in Bangladesh because of licensing issues, as Indian doctors are not allowed to see patients there. Hence, Manipal Hospitals encourages doctors to hold talks in Bangladesh in general and, for now, ramp up telemedicine facilities. The number of Bangladeshi patients coming to India for treatment has gone down by almost 70 per cent in recent months due to the political unrest in Bangladesh.
“Cancer treatment is being done under clinicians here; radiation therapy is ongoing. So they were really concerned about how to manage the situation—how do we go back and come back? We are also trying to talk to a few hospitals in Bangladesh, where they would be able to support patients in delivering care. Even if there is a certain protocol that can be followed there, they need not come here, but we would support the treatment, which is primarily what’s important,” added Debgupta.
Telemedicine uptake has gone up significantly in hospitals. Earlier, Manipal Hospitals handled an average of 80–90 consults per month, which has gone up to 300–350 consults a month due to telemedicine. There are telemedicine slots for various medical issues, and doctors across Manipal Hospitals in Kolkata assist patients in Bangladesh.
“People who are stuck there are the ones who are unable to communicate beyond a point, right? Inter-district travel within the country has been hampered with all the violence happening. So they are not even able to go to Dhaka for treatment. Hence, there has to be a provision where people in the local district are enabled to access care from where they are without having to travel even to Dhaka,” added Debgupta.
During this period of unrest, Manipal Hospitals has opened more centres with medical partners and ramped up telemedicine facilities in six districts in Bangladesh, which include Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barishal, Sylhet, and Mymensingh.
Hence, patients can reach out to the local medical centre and connect with the hospital in Kolkata to get consultations done. This enables economically poor and less-educated patients to connect with facilitators at these centres to connect with India.
“At the end of the day, it is about people-to-people connect. I think at least we can reach out and support them when people are in need, and Manipal Hospitals as an organisation has the opportunity to do that. With five hospitals in the city and 10 in the region, which is in closest proximity to Bangladesh, I think it is our responsibility to step up our service frequency to do the best we can,” added Debgupta.
The pandemic changed the way medical consultation was done, with the same technique being used by hospitals today. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had established a clear and structured protocol to support patients who were unable to visit the hospital in person, within the applicable guidelines. That experience has enabled us to ensure continuity of care through remote consultation-based support, wherever clinically appropriate,” said Abhijit CP, Director & Cluster Head – Kolkata and Corporate Growth Initiatives – Narayana Health East.
“We will continue to follow the same approach to guide patients, address their queries, and help them remain connected with their treating teams, ensuring that patient care remains seamless, coordinated, and focused on their well-being despite the prevailing challenges,” added Abhijit CP.
Combatting emerging challenges for Bangladeshi patients is Kolkata’s way of ensuring that the association spanning decades remains intact until visa norms are relaxed and patients can resume travelling as before for medical treatment.
