As visa norms ease, Bangla patients start returning to city; 3 hosps record 50% of pre-unrest arrivals

Kolkata: he arrival of Bangladeshi patients at Kolkata hospitals has increased over the last couple of months or so, with at least three facilities reporting a turnout close to 50% of the arrivals till mid-2024.

The flow of patients reduced drastically after unrest triggered by anti-Hasina protests broke out across the border two years ago, prompting India to order visa curbs.The turnaround coincides with the gradual easing of India’s visa norms for Bangladeshis across categories, culminating in the resumption of tourist visas on June 29. Medical visas have never been suspended, though the numbers dropped significantly after political turmoil gripped the neighbouring country.Peerless Hospital, where the turnout of OPD patients from Bangladesh nosedived from a high of 150 a day, is now getting between 70 and 80 patients from there. “The count has started improving since last Feb, when the medical visa restrictions started easing. The current count is the best since mid-2024, and we expect it to rise steadily over the next few months,” said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra.At Peerless, like several other private hospitals in the city, patients from Bangladesh accounted for 15% of its revenues till the disruptions almost choked travel between the two countries.

At RN Tagore hospital, around 2,200 Bangladeshi patients would visit the OPD and 200 of them would be admitted every month till Aug 2024. The count last Dec was less than 10% of that figure, but it has jumped sharply since April. “Over the past two months, we have seen a nearly 20% increase in patient flow from Bangladesh, reflecting a renewed confidence in cross-border healthcare access. The arrivals now are almost half of what we witnessed two years ago,” said R Venkatesh, COO of Narayana Hospitals, which runs RN Tagore hospital.

“We are also observing a higher frequency of medical visa approvals.”Desun Hospital, too, is witnessing a gradual increase in the number of patients from Bangladesh. “The arrival of Bangladeshi patients in June was almost 40% of what we saw till mid-2024. Most of the patients are coming for cancer and cardiac treatment,” said Sajal Dutta, managing director & chairman of Desun.“The process of obtaining medical visas has become smoother than it was during the period of uncertainty,” he said.Ruby General Hospital, which has seven-eight inpatients from Bangladesh, has seen a 30%-40% jump in the last two months. “There has been a spurt in both admissions and OPD footfall. We are getting around 15 OPD patients a day. Towards the end of last year, it was as low as one or two. Till mid-2024, we used to get 30-40 OPD patients from Bangladesh a day,” said Subhashis Datta, general manager, operations, Ruby General.

The hospital has been regularly getting queries about admissions and treatment costs from Bangladesh. “This is an indication of a turnaround,” Dutta said.“Bengal will always be an important treatment provider for Bangladeshis,” said Prashant Sharma, Charnock Hospital MD.