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Indian hospitals see no impact with Bangladesh crisis to influence medical tourism inflow

Nandita Vijayasimha, Bengaluru
Thursday, August 22, 2024, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]

Indian hospitals do not see any impact due to the ongoing Bangladesh crisis to affect its international patient inflow. Patients from Bangladesh opt for India’s medical expertise, affordability and reliability in patient care. They are here in India mainly for cardiac and oncology interventions apart from nephrology, ophthalmology and orthopaedic consultations.

It is reported that in 2023, India saw an increase in medical tourists from Bangladesh with numbers soaring 48 per cent to 449,570 from 304,067 in 2022. Nearly 70-80 per cent of medical tourists arriving in India are from Bangladesh and Middle East countries.

According to Dr Simanta G Sharma, head, Healthcare Development & Transformation, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, the government of India issues the maximum number of medical visas annually which is between 5.5 to 6 lakhs, to Bangladesh patients looking for high-end super specialty tertiary to quaternary medical care in India. Most of the patients are seeking specialized treatments and surgeries which are unavailable in their home country.

At Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, we have observed a steady inflow of international patients and many are from Bangladesh. We are committed to support all our patients including those from Bangladesh during these challenging times via any non-physical means like telemedicine consultations, tele-radiology reporting, tele-laboratory reporting, remote ICU management, etc, said Dr Sharma.

However, the overall situation highlights need for a robust international cooperation along with efforts to ensure accessibility to essential medical services regardless of geopolitical tensions. Healthcare sector must remain unaffected, ensuring every individual, regardless of their circumstances can come for treatment. It is our collective responsibility to uphold the integrity of healthcare, prioritizing the well-being of all communities, said Dr Sharma.

Over the years, many private hospitals of Bengaluru have been able to carve a niche for themselves and have managed to play a significant role in this regard leading to a significant revenue upside of more than Rs. 12,000 crore annually. In fact, the year-on-year increase in patients from Bangladesh to India has increased by 48% between FY 22-23 and by 53% between FY 23-24, he added.

While most hospitals in Karnataka refrained from commenting on the patient inflow from Bangladesh in the wake of the current challenges in the neighbouring country unlike their counterparts in the pharma industry who expressed concern over the trade disruptions, a report by knowledge-based analytical group CareEdge Ratings noted the contribution of medical tourism to the entire Indian hospital sector is about 3 per cent to 5 per cent. Considering the drop in footfall from Bangladesh along with its gradual revival to normalcy by the end of 2024, the sector will see minimal impact.

D Naveen Kumar, associate director, CareEdge Ratings, said “The socio-political unrest in Bangladesh impacted the medical tourism inflow from the neighbouring country and if the turbulence persists the total footfall from the country may drop by 10-15 per cent this year. The effect on individual hospitals will vary depending on their reliance on Bangladeshi medical tourists. Hospitals with a high dependency on these tourists may experience revenue declines in Q2 and Q3 of FY25, while larger, multi-location hospitals are likely to see a relatively minor impact. Most Indian industry players appear to be largely unaffected by the crisis, supported by their strong financial resilience and robust cash accruals.”

Noting that Bangladesh is the leading contributor to medical tourism among neighbouring countries and accounts for 50-60 per cent of India's total medical tourism inflow, CareEdge Ratings stated that a considerable number of these medical travellers have either cancelled or postponed their visits.

 

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