Tripura Hospital Joins Kolkata in Stopping Treatment for Bangladeshi Patients Amid Tension Rise
In a shocking move as tensions are rising, ILS Hospital in Agartala, Tripura, has stopped treating Bangladeshi patients. It is only a day after JN Ray Hospital in Kolkata took the same decision. The two hospitals stated that the atrocities against Hindus and the insult to the Indian national flag in Bangladesh have been the main reasons for such actions.
ILS Hospital, which charges less and is closer to Bangladesh, has been a favorite of medical tourists from the next-door neighbor for years. But Gautam Hazarika, chief operating officer of the hospital, Saturday said that as of Saturday itself, the hospital would be stopping treatment of patients coming from Bangladesh. The new orders also include the closing of the hospital help desk at the Akhaura check post, an entry point of Bangladeshis coming to India for medical purposes.
Hazarika said this amid a protest by local people that had demanded that health care facilities here cease providing service to the nationals of Bangladesh. Outrage was shown over mistreatment of Hindus in Bangladesh and the recent instance of an insult to the Indian national flag. Such acts must not be allowed to be unpunished, and the protestors urged others in institutions to stop medical service to Bangladeshi citizens also.
The protests are in keeping with sentiments expressed by officials at JN Ray Hospital in Kolkata, which also stopped treating Bangladeshi patients for the same reasons. Local groups have supported the decision as they feel that India has been unfairly criticized and disrespected despite the fact that it played a key role in Bangladesh's liberation.
Debates and questions over these choices were risen at hospital levels about the role healthcare establishments should play in political controversy affairs, but hospitals have stated clear reasons behind their move including ongoing safety concerns for Hindu Bangladeshis and growing hatred towards India in that particular area. This move has earned both positive and negative media attention and many are viewing for reaction from other hospitals across the rest of India.
With the tension mounting, the decisions taken by hospitals such as ILS in Agartala and JN Ray in Kolkata have come to be increasingly aligned with the overall political and geo-political concerns regarding India and Bangladesh.
