India coronavirus visa ban spells trouble for Bangladeshis seeking medical treatment

The Bangladeshis who have sought medical treatment in India are in trouble due to a visa ban imposed by New Delhi to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

India has suspended almost all visas except diplomatic, official, UN or international organisations, employment, and project visas until Apr 15 from Thursday.

It said any foreign national who intends to travel to India for “compelling reason” may contact the nearest Indian mission, but suspended medical visa as well.

Several patients and their relatives told bdnews24.com they had booked appointments with doctors in India, but now they cannot travel there due to the visa suspension.

Avijit Kumar Dey of Shakharibazar in Dhaka told bdnews24.com his mother was suffering from peripheral vascular disease, a blood circulation disorder.

The family booked an appointment at the CMC Hospital in Chennai’s Vellore for Mar 24 as the treatment for the disease is not available in Bangladesh. They had applied for visa from Mar 16 and planned to head to India the following day.

“Now they are saying they will not give us visa. We don’t know where the situation will lead us to,” Avijit said.

After the family contacted the Indian High Commission in Dhaka via email for help, the high commission asked them to bring the patient and meet High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das, Avijit said.

He said they would go to the high commission on Sunday, but have no idea what will happen.

An official at the high commission could not give much hope either. “We aren’t allowing anyone now,” the official told bdnews24.com.

Zahurul Islam, a teacher at Faridpur Government Ainuddin College, said he was worried over the treatment of his mother, who had travelled to Chennai last year over a spinal disease at the CMC Hospital and was scheduled to leave for India again shortly.

Old Dhaka’s Rayhan Ahmed, whose father is suffering from heart disease, spoke about similar uncertainty.

More than 3,000 Bangladeshis travel to India daily for different purposes and over 10 percent of them seek treatment there, according to the government.

The Bangladeshi patients have also boosted India’s medical tourism industry in the past few years. Around 45 percent of foreigners treated in India are from Bangladesh, according to the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.