A trickle of Bangladeshi patients is back in some of the city’s hospitals and the Indian mission in the neighbouring country has started issuing medical visas again, said patients and officials of some of the healthcare facilities here.

The footfall of Bangladeshi patients had dipped sharply in Calcutta’s private hospitals and had become zero during the height of the turmoil that started in July last year leading to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

“The number of Bangladeshi patients has started increasing a little since January. The number is nowhere near what it used to be before July last year,” said an official of RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences at Mukundapur, which is part of Narayana Health group.

“However, till December last year, 90 per cent of patients from Bangladesh who were coming for treatment had old visas obtained before July 2024 (which were still valid). Since January this year, 90 per cent of those coming to our hospital for treatment have new visas,” he said.

According to an official of another private hospital off EM Bypass, the verification queries for new visa applications from the Indian high commission in Dhaka have increased compared to the last quarter of 2024.

“We would get one or two queries in a day from the high commission to verify whether our letter confirming appointments with doctors is actual. Now, we are getting 12 to 15 such queries, which means they are processing more visas,” said the official.

From the trends so far, several hospitals said they expected the numbers to go up further by the end of February.

Mamunur Rashid Mamun, 51, from Dhaka, has come to RN Tagore hospital with his uncle Md Ashrafuddin for treatment. They are in the city since January 27 and staying at a hotel near New Market.

“Both of us got fresh visas. Initially, my uncle had applied based on an appointment at a small clinic in Calcutta. The high commission rejected that application. They verbally told us the visa would be issued only if the doctor appointments were at the bigger hospitals,” said Mamun.

However, he said many of his friends and relatives applying for tourist visas to come to Calcutta are having their applications rejected.

Mamun, apart from undergoing treatment, also shopped for his family at New Market. “I bought T-shirts and trousers for my son, lehengas for my daughter and niece. I bought clothes for other relatives. Every time I come to Calcutta, I shop at New Market.”

Mamun said the hotel room cost him less than what it usually does. “We got a room for ₹900 a day. It used to be ₹2,500,” he said.

Lack of demand has pulled down prices.

Anup Debnath from Barishal has come to Calcutta for treatment. His father Kanai Lal is admitted to RN Tagore hospital and has undergone a cardiac bypass surgery.

“Last year, I applied for a medical visa, which got rejected. This time, I got the visa,” said Debnath.

Hospitals said the increase is still marginal.

At RN Tagore, 30 to 40 patients from Bangladesh are coming to the OPDs. The number was 15 to 20 between September and December last year, said an official.

Peerless Hospital has a few patients from Bangladesh.

“The number had gone up in January but now it is down again,” said an official.

The Bangladeshi airlines said the number of passengers was not increasing enough to reintroduce multiple flights.

US Bangla, which used to operate two 180-seater aircraft between Calcutta and Dhaka and one more to Chittagong, is now operating a lone 72-seater aircraft. “That has had only 40 per cent occupancy on average. If tourist visas are not issued, the numbers will not go up,” said an airline official.

Biman Bangladesh had two flights to Dhaka but now has only one. “The number of passengers is going up on some days and again going down the next. So we cannot increase the frequency,” said an official of the airline.