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B’deshi patient inflow hit amid strain in ties

Medical tourism from Bangladesh to India has plummeted due to a visa ban, impacting hospitals and related businesses in Kolkata significantly.

Updated on: Mar 5, 2025, 05:51:51 IST
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At the Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS) along Kolkata’s arterial Eastern Metropolitan Bypass , the dedicated reception desk meant for foreign patients is strangely quiet. It’s been that way since September last year when a student revolt in Bangladesh culminated in a regime change.

PREMIUMThe Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), Kolkata. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), Kolkata. (Wikimedia Commons)

That, and ensuing bad blood with New Delhi, has seen a sharp drop in the number of medical visas, issued to patients from the country visiting India for treatment, with Delhi, Kolkata, and

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ridhima Gupta

Ridhima Gupta is a Principal Correspondent at Hindustan Times, where she covers healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and public health policy. Her reporting centers on Delhi’s major hospitals (AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lok Nayak), the state health department, and emerging medical trends. Ridhima is particularly interested in reporting on healthcare issues through the lens of women, children, and persons with disabilities. Her work often explores the intersection of healthcare and public policy, examining how these factors shape access health care. Based in New Delhi, many of her reports have led to direct government action over the years, in different city. Earlier this year, she completed a media training workshop on the Impact of Extreme Heat on Health, organised by the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), further strengthening her interest in reporting on the intersection of climate change and public health. A postgraduate from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Ridhima has around a decade of experience in journalism. She began her career as a trainee television reporter with Mirror Now in Mumbai and has since worked across multiple cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, contributing to both print and broadcast newsrooms. She is a recipient of the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022) for her reporting on education, disability, and women’s issues. Before joining Hindustan Times, Ridhima worked with The Times of India, New Indian Express and News18. A native of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Ridhima completed her undergraduate studies in Biotechnology. And when she is not working as a journalist she likes to paint and go on nature hikes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar

Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joydeep Thakur

Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.

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