The size of the overseas healthcare tourism from Bangladesh was recorded around USD 4 billion in 2012, said speakers at a seminar on Saturday adding that due to lack of specialized treatment, trust and perception, availability of advanced technology, competitively lower price local patients seek healthcare abroad.
The seminar on “Reversing the Outbound Healthcare Tourism” organized by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) on held at DCCI Auditorium.
DCCI President Ashraf Ahmed moderated the seminar .
In his opening remarks Ashraf said, according to WTO data, 49% of the people in Bangladesh do not have access to quality healthcare, as well as the tendency to seek healthcare servicesabroad is increasing due to lack of international standards required in local market.
The DCCI President said the way to reversing the trend of outbound medical tourism is to outperform the regional competition; we need to be better in terms of quality of medical services, provide better customer satisfaction and most importantly be more reliable both in measurable index and branding.
The DCCI president also underscored the need for ensuring the use of advanced infrastructure and modern technology for the development of the country’s healthcare ecosystem, increasing budgetary support, launching the chain of international hospitals in Bangladesh.
DCCI Senior Vice President Malik Talha Ismail Bari presented the keynote paper on the occasion.
He said the budget in the health sector is not sufficient. In FY2024-25 allocation in the health sector was 30125 crore taka which is 3.78% of the total budget.
Where per-capita health expenditure in South Asia is $401 in PPP but in Bangladesh it is only $110. In 2021, Bangladesh's health expenditure as a share of GDP was 2.36%.
Among 36 specialized hospitals, 19 are located in the Dhaka District, while 17 are spread across the rest of the country.
There are total 5,461 private hospitals and clinics in Bangladesh, of them, 1,810 are in the Dhaka division. And that is why; people of rural area are deprived of getting quality and adequate healthcare services that creates pressure on Dhaka.
Limited infrastructure, skilled workforce, quality and safety concern, low doctor-patient ratio, long waiting time are some of the bottlenecks to accessing advanced healthcare in Bangladesh, he also added.
National Professor Dr. A K Azad Khan, President, Bangladesh Diabetic Samity said due to lack of facilities, trust and comfort, patients sometimes go abroad to have healthcare service. To reverse the outbound patients, we need to do a proper plan and identify the bottlenecks.
Dr. Md. Liaquat Hossain, Registrar (Acting), Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BM&DC)said there is a national policy for registering foreign doctors but the process can be easier. Moreover, we have to give more effort on creating skilled professionals in this sector.
