ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh is looking to Pakistan as an alternative healthcare destination to India for some of its nearly 800,000 patients who travel abroad each year and spend more than $6 billion on medical treatment, officials revealed.
Dhaka is seeking easier visas, better air connectivity and access to Pakistani hospitals as it explores new options for its medical travellers. The development comes amid changing regional dynamics following the change of government in Bangladesh in 2024, which strained traditionally close ties between Dhaka and New Delhi. At the same time, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been working to improve bilateral relations and expand cooperation in various sectors.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Md Iqbal Hussain Khan shared the figures on Bangladesh’s outbound healthcare market during a high-level meeting with Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri and Muhammad Arshad Qaim Khani, Chief Executive Officer of the Prime Minister’s Sehat Card Programme and Chairman of Pakistan’s National Health Tourism Working Group.
India has long been a major destination for Bangladeshi patients due to its proximity, affordable treatment and established links between hospitals. However, strained relations between Dhaka and New Delhi following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024, along with restrictions on Indian visa services, have disrupted medical travel and created an opportunity for Pakistan.
During the meeting, the Bangladeshi side sought visa facilitation, improved air connectivity and arrangements to help patients identify and access suitable healthcare facilities in Pakistan. Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri assured the High Commissioner of Pakistan’s cooperation, saying the ministry would coordinate with relevant institutions to facilitate medical travel and address difficulties faced by Bangladeshi patients.
The two sides also agreed to expedite a proposed Pakistan-Bangladesh Health Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create an institutional framework for cooperation in healthcare, health tourism and universal health coverage.
Pakistan proposed promoting its leading hospitals and specialised healthcare facilities in Bangladesh, along with establishing a patient facilitation and grievance-redressal mechanism for Bangladeshi patients.
As part of the initiative, Pakistan plans to hold healthcare roadshows in Bangladesh to showcase its hospitals, specialised treatment facilities and medical expertise. The roadshows would also help establish direct links between Pakistani healthcare providers and prospective Bangladeshi patients and facilitators.
Muhammad Arshad Qaim Khani said Bangladesh’s nearly 800,000 outbound patients and more than $6 billion in annual healthcare spending represented a significant opportunity for Pakistan’s medical tourism sector.
If Pakistan attracted even one-quarter of this market, around 200,000 Bangladeshi patients could seek treatment in the country, potentially generating about $1.5 billion in spending, he said.
He said Pakistan was developing a National Health Tourism Policy, Strategy and Roadmap under the government’s “Heal in Pakistan” initiative. However, he added that attracting international patients would require better connectivity, easier medical visas, hospital accreditation, effective marketing and proper patient facilitation.
Pakistan also offered to share its experience of the Prime Minister’s Sehat Card Programme with Bangladesh.
Commenting on the development, Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed, a medical tourism expert and member of the National Health Tourism Working Group, said Pakistan could attract Bangladeshi patients as the country looked for affordable and quality alternatives for overseas treatment.
He said Pakistan had highly trained doctors, qualified specialists and hospitals capable of providing advanced treatment at lower costs. However, he stressed the need for an organised international marketing strategy.
Efforts to promote medical tourism are already under way through Health Asia conferences, he added. Drawing lessons from Türkiye, Dr Zakiuddin said medical expertise needed to be supported by easier medical visas, better air links, hospital accreditation, effective marketing and government support. Bangladesh could become an important market for Pakistan if patients were connected with accredited Pakistani hospitals through trusted and well-organised mechanisms, he said.
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