69% drop in Bangla patients at Kolkata’s EM Bypass hospitals
Times of India | 20 December 2024
12 Sumati.Yengkhom@timesofindia.com
Kolkata: The turmoil in Bangladesh has dragged down the patient influx from that country to Kolkata hospitals by about 69%. Comparative data for a month from four Kolkata hospitals, from mid-Nov to mid-Dec for the past two years, reveal this significant drop. These are hospitals along the EM Bypass that see a high patient turnout from the neighbouring country.
The four hospitals together—Peerless, RN Tagore International Institute for Cardiac Sciences, Fortis, and Ruby—had a cumulative patient count of around 6,300 patients during this period in 2023. But this year, during the same period, the four hospitals together received only around 2,000 patients.
"From mid-Nov to mid-Dec last year, we tended to 3,100 patients from Bangladesh. But this year, during the same period, only 1,289 patients have come seeking treatment from the neighbouring country. It is quite a significant dip," said Sudipta Mitra, CEO at Peerless Hospital.
Hospitals said the dip began in Nov, leading to a nosedive by the beginning of Dec. With no end to the turmoil, hospitals anticipate patient inflow to remain abysmally low for now. "Comparing the numbers in Nov-Dec last year and this year, there has been a dip of almost 70% in the outpatient and inpatient numbers from Bangladesh," said R Venkatesh, COO Narayana Health, East and South region.
Hospital administrators said that Nov to Jan are preferred by most patients for elective surgeries and other treatment procedures. At present, Bangladeshi patients coming for treatment to Kolkata are mostly those who need emergency treatment.
The accessibility, affordability, linguistic, and cultural affinity make these patients troop to Kolkata, where many of them also have relatives. From complex procedures like kidney transplants, neurosurgeries, cardiac procedures to medical management, patients from Bangladesh cross over to Kolkata for availing treatment.
At Fortis, the hospital tended to around 1,020 patients during this period in 2023, which scaled down to a mere double-digit figure during the past one month. At Ruby General Hospital, they tended to around 185 patients during the same period last year, whereas it has received only about 70 patients this year in comparison.
TOI reached out to at least two more hospitals that get a good chunk of patients from Bangladesh—Apollo Multispeciality and Medica—for the data. But none had the data ready.
Hospitals said that patients from Bangladesh who need hospital care in Kolkata require a confirmation from the hospital to apply for a medical visa. While the number of such applications to hospitals has dwindled, the number of visas being granted has also come down. "It also seems that medical visas are being granted mainly to emergency and critical care patients, as some patients who sought elective procedures said their visas are getting delayed," said a hospital administrator.
Another hospital administrator said that a few patients have told them of travel apprehensions despite getting a medical visa, preferring to wait for the turmoil to simmer down.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.