Thousands of patients in the country are going abroad every year for treatment purposes as they can’t get proper medical services from government hospitals even from private hospitals and clinics.
Wrong treatment, negligence, mismanagement, manpower crisis, and technical limitations in the country’s health sector have bound the people to opt for going abroad to get better treatment, alleged patients.
Bangladeshi patients are going for medical visas at various embassies like India, Thailand and Singapore every day. The number of this figure is increasing day by day.
As a result, thousands of crore taka go out of the country every year for better treatment purposes which is an ominous sign for the country’s economy.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, people couldn’t go outside of the country, but after lifting restrictions, people rushed to take medical visas at the visa centres in the capital daily.
Patients who prefer India to Bangladesh for treatment alleged that government hospitals have fewer facilities, while privates have a trap of fraudulence, which triggered the upper class to go abroad. Middle class even the lower-middle class people are also going abroad especially to India to get better treatment.
Maximum patients have expressed satisfaction after taking treatment abroad and praised their (Foreign countries) low-cost health services which are almost absent at hospitals in Bangladesh.
Riaz Hossain, who works at a private company, has recently returned from India after having successful treatment. He said he had cancer while getting medical treatment in Bangladesh.
“About five months ago, I had a voice problem. Then I went to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), specialist. He advised me to see a doctor at the National Cancer Institute after several tests,” he said.
After seeing the report the physician told me that I have cancer in my throat and need to start chemotherapy,” he added.
Riaz said, “I was panicked. Then I went to India for treatment. But after doing several tests there, the Indian doctor said I had no cancer. He gave me some medicines and my problem is gone.”
The same incident happened to Sima Das, a resident from Rajshahi. Sima told that she has a tumour on the side of the uterus while getting treatment from a local clinic. The doctor instructed her to do surgery immediately.
Sima’s son Asim Das said, “Later we went to Kolkata and completed several tests. The result finds no tumour in my mother’s body.”
“Then we went to Chennai for further confirmation and got the same result. If we have done what the Bangladeshi doctor told us to do then, the situation would worsen. How do we believe this country’s health sector.” he lamented.
Several patients who received treatment abroad have said they don’t believe in the country’s medical system. Besides, there is no better treatment facility for non-communicable diseases including cancer, neuro, kidney, liver, etc.
Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, former President of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) said, “People go abroad for treatment for various reasons like a crisis of mental trust and lack of adequate hospitals.”
“When our medical system improves, patients will not go abroad,” he hoped.
According to a report by Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), every year, Bangladeshis spend an average of Tk 2.04 billion for medical treatment abroad. The cost of doing the same treatment in Bangladesh is almost double that in India, and 3 to 10 times more in Thailand and Singapore.
A report from 2019 said, in one year 2.2 million Bangladeshi have visited India. Among them, the majority went there for treatment.
Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder of the Gonoshasthaya Kendra claimed that there is good quality medical care in the country which people don’t trust. Their lack of confidence in the medical system of the country is very unfortunate for the nation.
@ This report appeared on the print and online version of Bangladesh Pratidin on Thursday (August 25) and has been rewritten in English by Tanvir Raihan and Golam Rosul
