The political unrest in Bangladesh that began last month with students demanding former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and her subsequently fleeing the country, has disrupted India's pharmaceutical exports and medical tourism, News18 reported.
According to the report, pharmaceutical companies have been facing a plethora of issues such as blocked payments, lost consignments, among others. Indian medical tourism has suffered too, with patients from the affected region cancelling their travel plans abruptly or not being able to see through their travel plans due to the ongoing situation in the neighbouring country.
Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, told News18 that Indian pharma companies are currently reluctant to ship items to Bangladesh over unpaid dues.
"Due to the political unrest in Bangladesh, the Indian Pharmaceutical industry — which is into export of drugs and intermediates — has been facing significant challenges, including unpaid dues, concerns about the financial stability and logistics issues," Raja Bhanu, Director General, Pharmexcil, said.
Bhanu further said that Bangladesh being a neighbour with shared border has only contributed to worsening the situation, as shipments are getting stuck at the border. However, he added that there has been minor, but gradual improvement in the scenario.
"In Bangladesh, we may expect the political and economic scenario to improve. However, it is too early to make a conclusive statement on how it will affect our sector," Bhanu said.
Notably, India accounts for 30 percent of Bangladesh's pharmaceutical ingredient imports, which covers big pharma firms as well as small and medium ones. As per government data, exports to Bangladesh dwindled in FY 2024-25.
A Mumbai-based drugmaker said on conditions of anonymity that it is not taking new export orders to Bangladesh at the moment. It said, “While the condition is better now in terms of movement of shipments, we still haven’t been able to find out lost shipments costing several lakhs that went missing during the clashes. We are not taking any fresh export orders for Bangladesh till the situation goes back to normal.”
Meanwhile, Rajeev Taneja, CEO, Global Care, which assists NRIs seeking treatment in India, said the turmoil in Bangladesh has severely disrupted medical tourism to India, with several cancelling or postponing treatments.
"This situation is heart-breaking as it directly impacts individuals and families who rely on India’s healthcare system for critical care. The decline in patient visits — up to 50 per cent in some cases — not only affects hospital revenues but also highlights the growing uncertainty for those in need," he said.
Echoing similar sentiments, medical travel company MediJourn's co-founder Ishaan Dodhiwala said, "The unrest in Bangladesh has undeniably impacted the flow of patients seeking treatment in India, presenting some challenges for healthcare providers and related services."
He, however, said, "We expect the patient flow to improve in the coming weeks as the Indian visa application centre in Bangladesh has started giving out appointments and we are hopeful that the situation will normalise soon, allowing patients to resume their treatment plans without further delays."
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