Transforming Bangladesh’s Healthcare: From Outbound Patients to a Global Medical Tourism Hub

Sakif Shamim:

A harsh reality of Bangladesh’s health sector is that every year a huge number of people travel abroad for treatment. According to recent research and economic surveys, more than 800,000 people go abroad for medical treatment from Bangladesh every year, with the primary destinations being neighboring India, China, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Analysis of data from the Center for Policy Dialogue and various commercial organizations shows that about 4 to 5 billion US dollars are spent annually on these outgoing patients. The lack of advanced technology is not the only reason behind this massive outflow of foreign currency; rather, a lack of a well-organized structure and planning is also responsible. For a long time, patients have chosen foreign hospitals because there is less long-term suffering, higher diagnostic transparency, and the quality of service is highly disciplined. This long-term suffering and financial loss have become a major burden for the common people of Bangladesh, often drowning middle-class and lower-income families in a sea of debt.

However, on the other side of the coin, a massive change has been observed in Bangladesh’s health infrastructure over the last decade. Large investors in the country’s private sector are now building modern multi-specialty hospitals that are capable of competing with hospitals in Thailand or Singapore in terms of technology. Modern equipment for advanced heart surgery, robotic surgery, bone replacement, and cancer treatment is now available in the country’s large hospitals. Currently, institutions like Labaid, Evercare, or United are working with world-class equipment and skilled doctors. But despite this infrastructural development, a trust deficit still remains. When patients see that they have to undergo repeated tests to get a correct diagnosis or that there is uncertainty in the final result of treatment, they decide to move abroad. To change this mindset, it is not enough to just invest in large buildings or equipment; rather, it is essential to build a transparent and accountable medical system.

To develop Bangladesh as a medical tourism hub and to prevent domestic patients from going abroad, we must bring about extensive changes in our strategic planning. First, our hospitals must focus on achieving international recognition or JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation. Currently, the number of such accredited hospitals in Bangladesh is very limited (Labaid Cancer Hospital, United Hospital, and Evercare), whereas the number is much higher in India or Thailand. This recognition is not just a certificate; it is an assurance to patients worldwide that the medical services in this hospital follow international standards. When our domestic hospitals achieve this standard, middle-class and high-income patients will become confident about receiving treatment within the country. Additionally, the quality of behavior or soft skills of doctors and health workers needs to be improved. Often, it is seen that patients recover halfway just through the words and behavior of the doctor, which has not yet been fully established in our country.

To take medical tourism to the next level, the government must form a specialized ‘Medical Tourism Task Force.’ The task of this task force will be to simplify the visa process for foreign patients, especially to introduce a ‘Health Visa’ system so that patients from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries can come easily. However, before doing this, we must ensure that adequate services are available for the people of our own country. Before attracting foreign patients, we must gain the satisfaction of our internal patients. If we look at the hospitals in Chennai or Delhi in India as a reference, it can be seen that they are not only famous for treatment but their packages also include transportation, accommodation, and translator facilities. If Bangladesh can launch such a full-fledged ‘Patient Concierge Service’ in its hospitals, where patients are received from the airport and taken directly to the hospital and there are interpreters to understand their language, only then can we stand as a strong competitor in the global market.

There is an opportunity to make the country’s medical services more precise through higher research. Especially in the case of cancer and genetic diseases, if Bangladesh emphasizes research-based treatment methods or precision medicine, patients will not feel the need to go abroad. The practice of using biotechnology and nanotechnology for diagnosis that has been created in our country must be utilized to make the quality of laboratory tests more accurate. When our country’s pathology reports are directly accepted by large foreign hospitals, only then will it be understood that our diagnostic system has reached international standards. If this criterion is achieved, patients will not only take treatment in the country with confidence but both the required time and money for treatment will also be saved. This will come as a new blessing for the economy of Bangladesh because then we can save billions of dollars from the medical sector and gradually foreign currency will also begin to be earned.

To take the medical tourism sector to a unique height, the government must have strong control and supervision over private hospitals to ensure transparency in costs. A strong partnership must be built between private hospitals and the public sector. If the government provides special tax benefits or subsidies for medical research and if hospitals can combine advanced technology with humane service, only then can Bangladesh’s medical tourism sector touch a new horizon of economy and trust. Our goal must be to build a system where no patient has to board a plane with a passport in hand for treatment; rather, patients will come to Bangladesh from abroad to receive service. Ensuring proper policy, efficient application of modern technology, and maximum ethical medical service will be our main strategy for the future. If this crisis of trust can be removed, the health sector of Bangladesh will stand tall on the world stage, crossing the country’s borders.

Managing Director, Labaid Cancer Hospital & Super Speciality Centre

Deputy Managing Director, Labaid Group