A Bangladeshi border post in Bagha, Rajshahi district, near the India-Bangladesh border on June 13, 2021. | Credit: Dewan Tirtho / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Jan 17, 2026 / 08:00 am (CNA).
For decades, India was the most affordable and trusted destination for Bangladeshis seeking medical treatment abroad. Among them were thousands of Catholics who relied on Indian hospitals — many run by Christian institutions — for lifesaving care. But following political unrest in Bangladesh in July–August 2024 and the subsequent strain in relations with New Delhi, tightened Indian visa policies have sharply reduced access, leaving Catholic patients and families struggling both medically and emotionally.
An average of 3.6 million Bangladeshis used to travel to India annually for tourism, medical treatment, and business. Since Aug. 5, 2024, however, the number of Bangladeshi travelers — especially medical patients — has dropped dramatically, largely due to stricter visa procedures.
“I wanted to go to India for treatment of my heart disease, but I did not get a medical visa,” said Mita Corraya, a Catholic from Dhaka. “My cousin recovered after receiving treatment at Christian Medical College Vellore. Sadly, I was not given a visa.”
Corraya told EWTN News that she is now receiving similar treatment in Dhaka, but at a much higher cost. “So far, my treatment has cost nearly 1 million taka [about $8,101]. If I had been able to go to India, it would have cost around 500,000 taka [about half],” she said.
Cancer patients among the most affected
The visa complications have hit cancer patients particularly hard. Rina Gomes, a Catholic from Tejgaon parish in Dhaka, said she has been unable to return to India for follow-up care for breast cancer.
“I went to India for treatment in May 2024,” Gomes said. “Now I cannot go back. The political relationship between India and Bangladesh has become worse, and ordinary people are suffering. This should be stopped.”
Bangladesh ranks 10th globally among countries whose citizens seek medical treatment abroad. According to health sector data, 51% of Bangladeshi patients travel to India, followed by Thailand and Singapore at 20% each. Smaller numbers go to the United Kingdom (3%), Japan and Malaysia (2%), and China and the United Arab Emirates (1%).
More than half of Bangladeshi patients traveling abroad go primarily for diagnosis and medical checkups. Among those seeking treatment, heart disease, kidney ailments, cancer, and cataract surgeries are the most common reasons.
‘People are suffering because of politics’
“Previously, many patients traveled to India on tourist visas and consulted doctors,” said Dr. Edward Pallab Rozario, a Catholic Bangladeshi family medicine specialist and certified diabetologist as well as a children, skin, VD, sex, and burn physician. “Now they must apply for medical visas. About 80% receive approval, but 20% do not.”
Rosario explained that Indian hospitals remain popular because of their affordability and patient-centered approach. “Patients tell us Indian doctors spend time with them and listen carefully. The cost is also lower. That is why people still want to go, despite the difficulties.”
Beyond medical care, visa restrictions have strained family relationships within Bangladesh’s small Catholic community, which has long-standing cross-border ties with India.
A Telugu Catholic living in Dhaka, who requested anonymity, told EWTN News that members of his family live in Andhra Pradesh. “One of my sisters married there, and two studied there. We used to visit once a year, but now we cannot get tourist visas.”
“My mother has become ill because she has not seen her daughters for more than a year,” he said.
He also described the distressing case of a Christian student who failed to obtain a visa extension in India and attempted to cross the border irregularly. The student was arrested and jailed by Indian authorities. “Community leaders are working for his release,” he said.
He urged both governments to improve relations. “People are suffering because of politics. This should not happen.”
Trade tensions deepen uncertainty
The strain in bilateral relations has extended beyond visas into trade, further impacting livelihoods in Bangladesh.
Following political changes on Aug. 5, 2024, India imposed trade restrictions. On April 8, it canceled transshipment facilities that allowed Bangladesh to export goods to third countries via Indian airports. India later imposed phased restrictions on Bangladeshi exports through land ports, affecting garments, processed food, jute products, cotton-yarn waste, plastic goods, and wooden furniture.
Bangladesh responded by halting yarn imports from India through land ports on April 15.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh exported goods worth $760 million to India during the first five months of the current fiscal year (July–November), compared with $810 million in the same period last year — a decline of 6.68%.
Exports of processed food products dropped by 13%, while jute and jute products fell by 37%.
‘Economics should not be mixed with politics’
Economists warn that continued restrictions could further weaken Bangladesh’s export capacity.
Khandaker Golam Moazzem, research director at the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), told EWTN News that Bangladesh has limited export markets, making India strategically important.
“Even after Bangladesh restricted yarn imports, imports from India increased,” he said. “But after India imposed restrictions, Bangladeshi exports declined. Economics should not always be mixed with political issues.”
Kamruzzaman Kamal, director of marketing at PRAN-RFL Group, Bangladesh’s largest processed food exporter, said rising logistics costs have reduced profitability. “There are additional costs at land ports, and many products are no longer viable,” he told EWTN News. “We want initiatives to strengthen bilateral relations and reopen land ports.”
Hope for dialogue
Despite the current strain, business leaders in India have described the trade crisis as temporary. Economists on both sides argue that dialogue is essential — not only to revive trade but also to reduce the human cost borne by patients and families.
For Bangladesh’s Catholic minority, the crisis is deeply personal.
“We do not want conflict,” Corraya said quietly. “We only want treatment, dignity, and the chance to live.”
