Visa restrictions for Maldivians cause losses for Indian hospitals

The reduction in the number of Maldivians flying to India for medical treatment due to restrictions in obtaining visa is causing corporate hospitals in the Indian state of Karnataka to rethink their expansions plans, reports Indian newspaper The Hindu.

Maldivians have recently started facing difficulties obtaining visas for medical and other purposes to visit India.

Dr. Sharan S. Patil, Chairperson and Chief Orthopedic Doctor at the Sparsh Hospital in Bangalore which specializes in advanced surgeries said that following the restrictions on visas for Maldivians, the hospital has decided there was no point in going ahead with the proposal to tie up with hospitals in the Maldives, writes The Hindu.

“As hospitals in Maldives are equipped only with infrastructure for basic health problems, most Maldivians come to India for treatment. The proposal was to send our doctors there to conduct speciality clinics. The idea was to avoid people coming to India even for consultations. But now we are wondering what is the point in going ahead with this proposal,” the Indian newspaper writes as Dr.Patil said.

The hospital gets more than 30 patients a month from Maldives for surgeries as well as follow-ups, though the number has now greatly reduced.

Dr.Patil said that a team from his hospital had planned to visit Maldives in the third week of January to tie up with two private hospitals (ADK and Medicare Primax).

The Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences also gets nearly four patients a week from Maldives. Institute Director C.N. Manjunath said the restrictions on visa would deprive Maldivians of quality healthcare. “Although some Maldivians also go to Sri Lanka for treatment, most choose India, especially Kerala and Bangalore,” Dr.Manjunath said, reports The Hindu.

Doctors from hospitals frequently visited Maldivian patients have said that there should not be restrictions on medical tourism and that by imposing limitations on visa, the Indian government is sending a bad message.