Kolkata: The Bangladesh unrest has prompted hospitals in Kolkata to ramp up video consultation services for patients across the border who are unable to travel to Kolkata.
The number of patients from Bangladesh has started decreasing after the recent streak of violence there.
Now with the suspension of visa services, the inflow of Bangladeshi patients to Kolkata is likely to halt.
Most hospitals anticipate the inflow will come to a grinding halt after about a week.
Most hospitals have already put in place telemedicine services aimed at easing the worries of patients who need basic follow-up.
However, video consultation services would be difficult for new patients, as many would require investigative tests for proper diagnosis.
Even patients who need surgical procedures would not benefit from telemedicine services.
Manipal Hospitals already offers a seamless video consultation facility and is currently providing telemedicine services to patients from Bangladesh.
Desun Hospital has been conducting video consultations since COVID and stepped up the practice for Bangladeshi patients since August 2024. The international helpdesk regularly coordinates video consultations with doctors.
Peerless Hospital plans to open a video consultation service for patients who have returned to Bangladesh after major treatment, such as surgery or critical illness.
Ruby General Hospital has seen OPD footfall from Bangladesh picking up since last month and now going down again. They will provide video consultations to patients who need follow-up if they are unable to come back.
The same applies to the RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences. The number of patients from Bangladesh coming for OPD consultations surged to a monthly average of 2200 in the past three months. These numbers have started dipping again.
This has been the same experience for Narayana Health East & South region. They will arrange video consultations for patients who are unable to come for follow-up consultations.
