India's hospital industry has been severely impacted by a sharp decline in Bangladeshi patients. The private hospitals association in eastern India reported a nearly 70% drop in patients from Bangladesh. Hospitals that heavily depended on these patients have faced a significant setback.
The decline in Bangladeshi patients is reportedly affecting hospitals throughout India, including in West Bengal and Tripura.
After the fall of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government in early August, there has been a notable decrease in the number of Bangladeshi patients traveling to India.
Rupak Barua, President of the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India and CEO of Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata, said, "Earlier, an average of 20-25 thousand medical visas were issued to India every month. Now, that number has dropped to 700 to 1,000. And even now, it's mostly not new patients, but old patients who have check-ups, etc., who are getting visas. As a result, the entire hospital industry in India has been hit hard."
Dr. Ayanabh DebGupta, the Chief Operating Officer of Manipal Hospitals in Eastern India, one of the country's largest hospital networks, stated, " It's truly regrettable that a large number of patients from Bangladesh are unable to visit hospitals in India.Even in our hospitals, the number of outpatient visits and patient admissions has decreased. However, we haven't had to delay any scheduled operations."
Dr. DebGupta addaed,"To ensure continuous treatment for our existing patients, we've implemented telemedicine services. The number of online consultations is on the rise."
Approximately 450,000 people from Bangladesh traveled to India for medical treatment on 2023. Bangladeshis are the biggest group of foreign patients coming to India for medical treatment.
Source:BBC
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