Kolkata hospitals see pre-Covid numbers as Bangladeshi medical tourists flock

Hospitals in Kolkata are getting pre-Covid number of patients as many from Bangladesh have started streaming back to the city for medical treatments. 

The numbers are set to swell further in the course of this month following a lull because of Eid celebrations last month, reports the Times of India.

At RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), the Bangladesh patient count has touched 15% of the total footfall, which is higher than the pre-pandemic number.

RTIICS used to have 150 utpatient departments (OPD) patients from Bangladesh daily till early 2020, the count has now touched 200. At average, around 15 patients from Bangladesh are now admitted - higher than the pre-pandemic average of 10.

"This is the result of the pent-up demand due to the pandemic, when patient flow had stopped," said R Venkatesh, zonal head, Narayana Hospitals (RTIICS).

"Visa requirements, too, have been eased, facilitating travel. We had seen a brief lull during Eid last month, but things are now back to normal. The Bangladesh patient count is the highest we have ever had. Going by the number of visa invitation letter applications and enquiries, the number is set to rise further," Venkatesh added.

Ruby General Hospital has seen a surge in Bangladeshi patients since February-March, with the number touching the 2019 figure.

The hospital now receives around 200 patients from Bangladesh at its OPD every week and has around 25 inpatients, the highest in three years.

Deferred treatment and lifting of travel restrictions led to the surge, said Subhashish Datta, general manager-operations.

Medica Superspecialty has seen a rise - of 60% and 30% - in the number of outpatients and inpatients respectively from Bangladesh since 2019.

At the three units of AMRI Hospitals, the Bangladesh patient count touched 2,000 in April.