The escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh are casting a long shadow over the lives of thousands of Bangladeshi patients who depend on Indian medical facilities for critical care. Since the political upheaval in Bangladesh, which saw the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an ally of India, in August, India has significantly curtailed its visa operations in Bangladesh, affecting not only patients like Khadiza Khatun but also hitting the lucrative medical tourism sector of India hard.
Khadiza Khatun, a resident of Dhaka, experienced a life-altering moment in September when doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital delivered the somber news: her husband, Mohammad Nuri Alam, aged 37, was in dire need of a liver transplant, a procedure not available within Bangladesh’s borders. With no feasible local options, the couple turned their hopes towards India, specifically the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Hyderabad, known for its expertise in complex medical procedures and a beacon for many Bangladeshi patients seeking high-quality healthcare
However, their journey to potentially life-saving treatment has been stalled by the current visa situation. Despite applying for visas in October, Khadiza and Mohammad have encountered an unexpected delay. The Indian Embassy in Dhaka, in response to the political turmoil and the cooling of diplomatic relations between the two nations, has reduced its visa processing capacity dramatically. This has left Khadiza and countless others in a state of uncertainty and distress.
The couple has already missed two critical appointments scheduled for November 20 and December 20, with the next slot on January 10 hanging in balance. “We’ve tried everything since October – approaching travel agencies, seeking help from friends in government,” an exhausted Khadiza shared with Al Jazeera. “India remains our only hope.” The family’s desperation is palpable; without a visa, they cannot move forward with the transplant, and Mohammad’s condition worsens with each passing day, managed only by symptomatic treatments in local hospitals.
The visa restrictions have broader implications beyond individual tragedies like Khadiza’s. India’s medical tourism industry, which has thrived on the influx of patients from neighboring countries, particularly Bangladesh, is now facing significant revenue losses. The sector, previously a vibrant component of India’s health and economic landscape, is witnessing a downturn as fewer patients can access treatments. Hospitals in major Indian cities, which once catered to a steady stream of international patients, now have empty beds and reduced international patient departments.
Moreover, the situation has sparked a debate on the ethics of healthcare access and international diplomacy. Critics argue that using medical treatment as a diplomatic tool is inhumane, especially when lives are at stake. There’s an urgent call from civil society, medical professionals, and human rights groups for the Indian government to reconsider its visa policy to facilitate emergency medical care.
For Khadiza, the reality is stark. The alternative treatments in countries like Thailand are beyond her financial reach. “I feel helpless, running between hospitals without a solution,” she laments, highlighting the personal toll of these geopolitical maneuvers. With each day that passes without a visa, the hope for Mohammad’s recovery diminishes, leaving families like Khadiza’s in a perpetual state of limbo, caught between deteriorating health and bureaucratic delays.
As the new year approaches, the plea from patients and their families in Bangladesh is clear: they need a resolution to this visa crisis to access the medical care that could save lives. This situation underscores the complex interplay between health, politics, and diplomacy, where the human cost of such tensions is measured in lives and the quality of those lives, hanging in the balance of international relations.