Travel uncertainties add to Bangla patients’ trauma
Times of India | 7 August 2024
Kolkata: With transport links with India hit, treatment plans of hundreds of Bangladeshi patients who had lined up appointments at Kolkata hospitals over the next fortnight have been jeopardized. All rescheduled appointments, many of which had been deferred since trouble first broke out last month, have now been cancelled indefinitely or postponed till at least Aug 15.Patients have been asked not to wait in case of emergency.
At Ruby General Hospital, which saw a sudden spurt in Bangladesh patients from July 30 when 23 patients visited its OPD, the number of patients dropped to four on Tuesday. “Since bus services have become uncertain, most will now be wary of travel. All appointments till Aug 15 have been cancelled,” said Ruby general manager (operations) Subhashish Datta. Online consultations will remain operational, he added.
Some like BP Poddar Hospital are planning to switch entirely to online consultations. “It will not be possible for patients to physically come here for consultations. We are arranging teleconsultations, especially for our follow-up patients. Non-emergency cases are being postponed,” said group advisor Supriyo Chakrabarty.
At Desun Hospital, 108 patients from Bangladesh had scheduled appointments over the next two weeks that now stand cancelled. The authorities are making alternative arrangements or postponing them to the second half of Aug. “We will continue to keep them informed about any developments and provide remote consultations,” said director Shaoli Dutta.
The Bangladesh turmoil has dealt a blow to health tourism in the region, said Indian Chamber of Commerce national healthcare president Prashant Sharma. “Bangladesh is heavily dependent on the Indian healthcare sector. With such incidents, medical travel takes a big hit,” said Sharma, also the MD of Charnock Hospital.
Manipal Hospitals have 37 Bangladesh patients now admitted across three units. “All got their medical visas before consular services in Dhaka were shut. On Tuesday, we admitted nine who had reached Kolkata a week ago,” said a Manipal representative.
Techno Dama Hospital is planning to launch emergency services near Bangladesh borders with the govt authorities. “We are working with online consultations,” said MS Purkait, medical superintendent, Techno India DAMA Hospital.
Bangladesh patients comprise around 15% of the footfall across branches at Disha Eye Hospitals. “Right now, online consultations are our prime concern since travelling will be a chalkboard for patients from Bangladesh,” said CMD Debasish Bhattacharya.