After B’desh violence slump, Kol situation prompts hosp date pushback requests
Times of India | 7 September 2024
Kolkata: Patients from Bangladesh, who had started trickling back to Kolkata hospitals for treatment after a break forced by the suspension of visas, train and bus services between Kolkata and Dhaka last month, have turned wary of visiting the city. Scores of planned treatment and surgeries have been deferred over the last fortnight, while online consultations have soared at some hospitals.
Kolkata has been witnessing consistent agitations, marches and roadblocks since Aug 9 when a trainee PG doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital.
At RN Tagore Hospital (RTIICS), Bangladeshi patients’ flow has been affected since the crisis set in the neighbouring country. “We have seen a dip of more than 25% in the flow of patients from Bangladesh across our Kolkata and Bengaluru units and expect a further 50% drop this month at both the units.The fresh lot of patients, expected from Bangladesh, will get delayed as the visa process has just restarted and will take time till the same is streamlined.We would provide alternative means including video consultations wherever possible for the convenience of patients,” said Narayana Hospitals COO, R Venkatesh, adding that the footfall of local patients has also dropped.
At BP Poddar Hospital, there has been a significant increase in online consultations of Bangladesh patients over the past month while OPD bookings have slumped. In the last six days, 48 online consultations were done. “Those requiring surgery prefer to complete their pre-operative tests locally and send us the reports online . This section is waiting for things to normalize in Kolkata before making the journey. OPD appointments of Bangladesh patients remain relatively low. However, a good number of them have taken offline appointments during the later part of this month,” said Supriyo Chakrabarty, group advisor, BP Poddar Hospital.
Ruby General Hospital has seen a 10% dip in new bookings from Bangladeshi patients that had picked up in Aug. “Bangladesh patients have been enquiring about the situation in Kolkata before making the trip. This has affected the flow,” said Ruby general manager – operations, Subhasish Datta. He added that the hospital had around 10 surgeries and 30 to 40 Bangladesh patients a day at the OPD in end-Aug. “These patients were in queue and waited till the trouble ebbed in Bangladesh and visa issuance restarted. But the issue of visa invitation letters, which patients need to travel to India for treatment, remains slow,” added Datta.
Charnock Hospital has rescheduled OPD appointments for patients with planned visits. The hospital maintained that patients requiring immediate medical attention were receiving timely care in the emergency department. Routine tests are continuing as scheduled, and all emergency services remain fully operational to address urgent needs. “To support patient care, the hospital has implemented home blood collection services,” said Charnock MD Prashant Sharma.