Kol hospitals going online to bridge the gap for Bangladeshi patients

Kolkata: Patients in Bangladesh are requesting for and booking video consultations with doctors and hospitals in India due to the slow and limited visa issuance in Bangladesh. Visa issuance resumed in a very limited way on Tuesday and the authorities said the process could remain slow. Several hospitals have already switched to video consultations for Bangladeshi patients, many of whom have been waiting to travel to Kolkata for weeks. With travel restrictions in force and direct bus and train services still suspended, this could remain the only option for Bangladeshi patients waiting for their visas over the next few weeks, hospital authorities believe.Ruby General Hospital has been doing three online consultations a day on an average for the last three days. “Seven-eight such consultation requests are being made every day. While the number of Bangladesh patients remains low, online consultations could be the only option till travelling options open up,” said Ruby general manager (operations) Subhashis Datta.He added that the hospital rarely did more than a couple of video consultations a week for Bangladesh patients prior to the violence that broke out last month. “They would be done largely for follow-up treatment but new patients are seeking online appointments now,” said Datta.BP Poddar Hospital has introduced a dedicated helpline number for Bangladeshi patients, allowing them to connect with their doctors. “Whether it’s video consultation or other online services, we have tailored them to meet their needs during these challenging times. We had 11 scheduled online consultations on Monday. These included three for oncology patients, four cardiac, three urology and an orthopaedic patient. Requests for more video consultations are pouring in and we expect the numbers to rise sharply over the course of the week,” said Supriyo Chakrabarty, group advisor, B P Poddar Hospital.Narayana Health Hospitals have a ‘comprehensive video consultation service’ which is available for the citizens of Bangladesh, said COO R Venkatesh. “They have been using video consultations for follow-ups and second opinion on a regular basis. The same is continuing in a more frequent manner due to the recent crisis,” added Venkatesh.Hospitals are also trying to reduce the stay period for Bangladeshi patients who are now here for treatment. “We are trying to shorten the hospitalization period. We are advising them to get admitted a day before the surgery, while pre-operative consultation would be done virtually. Patients who need only consultation and tests are being advised to get their consultations done online and defer their tests,” said Chakrabarty.ILS Hospitals have been offering online consultations as well. “It has always been available for Bangladeshi patients but they have started asking for it in larger numbers now,” said Debashis Dhar, senior vice-president.Desun Hospital director Shaoli Dutta said: “We are not introducing online consultations though there has been a significant decline in the number of Bangladeshi patients. All appointments have deferred till Aug-end.”
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