India Bangladesh Relation: The deteriorating relations between India and Bangladesh have not only affected trade but also affected the large number of people coming for treatment. Its example is Mohammad Noori Alam. In September last year, doctors at Dhaka Medical College told him that he needed a liver transplant, but this was a procedure which was not available in Bangladesh.
According to Al Jazeera’s report, to get Mohammad Noori Alam treated, his wife Khadija Khatoon thought of taking him to the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Hyderabad. This institute is a trusted destination for many Bangladeshi patients, but even after three months they have not received visas to travel. The reason is that in view of the increasing tension between India and Bangladesh after the removal of Sheikh Hasina from Dhaka in August, Indian authorities have significantly reduced visa operations in Bangladesh.
Appointments missed due to not getting visa
Due to not getting the visa, Khadija and her husband have missed two appointments at the hospital in Hyderabad, on 20 November and 20 December. His next appointment is on January 10 and he is not sure whether he will be able to reach India or not. Khadija and her husband say that every possible effort has been made since October. They contacted travel agencies, sought help from acquaintances in the government, but India is their only hope.
Treatment is expensive in other countries
Khadija says that treatments are expensive in Thailand and other countries, so in view of her husband’s deteriorating health, she is dependent on daily treatment in hospitals in Dhaka. He hopes that the new year will get him a visa.
Khadija’s struggle reflects a larger crisis affecting thousands of Bangladeshi patients who rely on India’s affordable healthcare because of visa restrictions imposed by Indian authorities.
India is giving limited appointment slots
According to the website of the Indian Visa Centre, it is providing limited appointment slots only for citizens of Bangladesh who require urgent medical and student visas. According to an official at the Indian visa center in Bangladesh, daily online visa slots at five visa centers in Bangladesh, including Dhaka, have dropped from 7,000 to around 500 since the beginning of the protests in July. This is why for many Bangladeshis like Khadija, the chances of getting a visa seem even less.
The tensions between the two governments have had a major impact on the visa issuance process. A large number of people also demonstrated at visa centers in Dhaka.
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