A month after Shikha Inn fire, Kolkata hospitals see mixed response from Bangladeshi patients
Kolkata Hospitals Record Uneven Return of Bangladeshi Medical Travellers After Shikha Inn Fire
Bdbusinessdaily.com – One month after the deadly fire at Kolkata’s Shikha Inn hotel, hospitals serving Bangladeshi patients are seeing sharply different patterns in medical travel. The 19 August incident killed nine people, seven of them Bangladeshis, and intensified concerns about accommodation, safety and the practical challenges faced by patients travelling for treatment.
Several large hospitals in the city have experienced a notable reduction in Bangladeshi outpatient visits since the fire. Others, however, say their patient numbers have held steady or begun to rise again, helped in part by arranging lodging close to medical facilities.
Ruby General and B P Poddar See Major Declines
Ruby General Hospital in south Kolkata has recorded one of the clearest falls in patient traffic. Four Bangladeshi patients are currently admitted there, while its daily outpatient department attendance from Bangladesh has slipped to about 20 people. Until the middle of August, the comparable daily figure was roughly 40.
“There seems to be a lack of confidence in Bangladeshi patients who feel the conditions in Kolkata are not yet favourable,” said Subhashish Datta, chief general manager for operations at Ruby General Hospital.
The hospital has tried to assist patients in finding alternatives to central Kolkata hotels, including accommodation around the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Even so, the overall number of Bangladeshi patients remains 30% to 40% lower than it was in August.
B P Poddar Hospital has faced a similar slowdown. Its Bangladesh-linked OPD attendance has declined by about half, falling from approximately 10 or 11 patients a day to only five or six. The hospital sent officials to Bangladesh last week to speak with patients and better understand their concerns.
“From around 10 to 11 a day at the OPD, it is now five to six only,” a hospital representative said.
Although enquiries from Bangladesh continue, many prospective patients are delaying travel. Affordable lodging has emerged as a central issue because many patients and accompanying relatives previously stayed in central Kolkata, where a large number of hotels are now closed.
“Lack of affordable accommodation is a reason for their reluctance,” the representative said. “Most of the patients from Bangladesh and their family members preferred to stay in central Kolkata hotels, which are mostly shut now.”
B P Poddar has also directed patients toward accommodation options in south Kolkata, but that support has not yet produced a substantial recovery in visitor numbers.
Desun Experiences a Smaller Dip
Desun Hospital, located close to Ruby General Hospital, has seen a more moderate decline. It received around 500 new Bangladeshi patients during the past month, about 15% below its usual level.
Its management says the trend has been improving gradually, while returning patients have continued to visit in relatively stable numbers. The hospital’s international help desk remains involved in helping visitors identify lodging within a two-kilometre area of the facility.
“There is a gradual increase in the number of Bangladeshi patients but it still remains marginally below normal,” said Sajal Dutta, CMD of Desun Hospital.
“Our international help desk continues to help patients find suitable accommodation within a 2km radius of the hospital,” he added.
The differing experience at Desun suggests that the impact of the fire is not uniform across Kolkata’s healthcare sector. For patients travelling from another country, treatment decisions are closely linked to the ability to secure dependable accommodation for themselves and relatives during what can be an extended medical stay.
Peerless and R N Tagore Narayana Show Greater Resilience
Peerless Hospital has not recorded a post-fire decline in Bangladeshi patients, its chief executive officer Sudipta Mitra said. The hospital has been receiving between 60 and 70 Bangladeshi OPD patients a day over recent months and has actively arranged alternative lodging through nearby guest houses and hotels.
“We have been receiving 60 to 70 OPD patients daily over the last few months. We have actively provided alternative accommodation to our patients in guest houses and hotels near the hospital,” Mitra said.
Even with that stability, the present figures remain far below the levels seen before 2024, when Peerless Hospital received roughly 180 Bangladeshi OPD patients daily.
R N Tagore Narayana Hospitals, also in south Kolkata, has reported a gradual strengthening in the flow of Bangladeshi patients over the past six to nine months. Its management said the progress continued despite the August fire, with Bangladesh-related OPD attendance increasing by more than 6% from the preceding month.
About 250 patients from Bangladesh now attend the hospital’s outpatient department each day.
“What is particularly encouraging is that, despite the unfortunate fire incident last month, the momentum has remained strong. In fact, OPD footfall from Bangladesh has grown by more than 6% over the previous month,” said R Venkatesh, group chief operating officer of R N Tagore Narayana Hospitals.
Accommodation Remains Central to Recovery
The mixed results underline how closely medical travel is tied to non-medical arrangements. Hospitals may provide consultations, admission and follow-up care, but patients travelling from Bangladesh must also organise affordable places to stay, often alongside family members who provide support during treatment.
For facilities that have been able to connect visitors with nearby guest houses, hotels or other accommodation, patient flows appear to have been more stable. Elsewhere, the loss of the familiar central Kolkata hotel options has added uncertainty at a time when confidence remains fragile after the Shikha Inn tragedy.
Whether patient numbers fully recover will depend not only on hospital capacity, but also on whether travellers feel able to arrange safe, accessible and reasonably priced stays near their treatment centres.
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