Bangladesh and India Ink Deal to Boost Medical Tourism for Bangladeshis

Bangladesh’s Rhythm Group and India’s Manipal Hospitals signed a partnership agreement on Thursday to ensure Bangladeshi patients gain easier access to advanced healthcare services in India. 

The signing ceremony, held at a hotel in the capital, was graced by Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Kumar Verma as the chief guest.

The deal was signed by Rhythm Group Managing Director Shohag Hossain and Manipal Health Enterprises Group Consultant Jithu Jose, with Rhythm Group Deputy Managing Director Abhir Hossain also in attendance. 

During the event, High Commissioner Verma remarked that the agreement reflected the deepening people-centric partnership between the two nations and would "further strengthen bilateral cooperation in healthcare and connectivity." 

He emphasized that such initiatives would facilitate access to quality and affordable healthcare for Bangladeshi citizens, adding that he "welcomed greater private sector collaboration between the two neighbouring countries."

Karthik Rajagopal, Group COO of Manipal Health Enterprises, stated that the partnership would help Bangladeshi patients gain "hassle-free access to patient-centric, world-class healthcare services." 

Supporting this sentiment, Rhythm Group’s Abhir Hossain noted that the collaboration would "bring major relief to Bangladeshi patients by ensuring reliable guidance, smoother travel arrangements and easier access to advanced treatment facilities in India."

Under this new framework, patients will receive comprehensive end-to-end support, including medical consultations, hospital selection, and travel logistics. 

This initiative merges Rhythm Group’s expertise in aviation and logistics with Manipal Hospitals’ extensive network of 49 hospitals, 12,600 beds, and over 11,000 doctors. 

Services will also extend to providing second medical opinions, reviewing medical reports, and offering tailored guidance to ensure optimal treatment options.

Furthermore, patients will benefit from coordinated travel support, including accommodation and special airfare facilities through airline partnerships. 

Both organizations also announced plans to launch a digital video consultation platform, allowing for remote specialist consultations prior to travel. 

Looking toward the future, the two entities revealed a long-term goal to establish a multidisciplinary joint-venture hospital within Bangladesh to strengthen the country's local healthcare capacity.