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Major hospitals in Kolkata are taking measures to help Bangladeshi patients arrange safe accommodation as the number of patients travelling to the Indian city for medical treatment has fallen following a deadly guesthouse fire.
The fire at a guesthouse on Free School Street killed nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals. The incident prompted authorities to tighten scrutiny of budget hotels and unregistered accommodation facilities.
Following the incident, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata issued an advisory urging travellers to book accommodation in advance at hotels with valid safety and fire clearances.
The advisory has created particular concerns for Bangladeshi patients, many of whom travel to Kolkata by road and seek affordable accommodation while undergoing treatment. Although outpatient patients do not require a medical visa to visit India, their treatment can extend over several days or weeks, making safe and reasonably priced lodging essential.
In response, several Kolkata hospitals are planning outreach programmes in Bangladesh and introducing measures to help patients secure verified accommodation before travelling.
BP Poddar Hospital plans to send a delegation to Bangladesh next week to meet patients and their families and advise them on safe lodging. The hospital is also developing dedicated accommodation near its south Kolkata facility.
“Our patients’ safety and security are our top priority,” said Supriya Chakraborty, group adviser to BP Poddar Hospital. He said the planned facility would include security arrangements and provide accommodation close to the hospital.
Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital is also preparing to send a delegation to Bangladesh. It has partnered with several verified guesthouses and hotels in the Alipore area and plans to provide patients with a list of approved accommodation options.
“We want to make them aware of the importance of staying in safe hotels,” said Rupak Barua, CEO of Woodlands and president of the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India.
Ruby General Hospital is setting up a dedicated help desk to coordinate accommodation for Bangladeshi patients. It has begun contacting patients and preparing a list of nearby lodging facilities, according to Subhashis Dutta, the hospital’s general manager for operations.
The hospital also plans to help patients book rooms before they travel to Kolkata. Desun Hospital’s international cell has similarly begun arranging verified accommodation for Bangladeshi patients.
Hospital executives said the recent advisory may make some travellers more cautious in the short term, but they do not expect it to significantly reduce genuine medical travel to Kolkata over the longer term.
The hospitals said their initiatives are intended to address accommodation concerns, improve patient safety and make medical travel between Bangladesh and Kolkata more organised and secure.