Shared Borders, Shared Struggles: Indian Sectors Feel the Heat of Bangladesh's Crisis
If in a neighborhood a family is in trouble, it is eventually going to affect the other households in one way or the other. Exactly what has been happening on an international scale following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and flee from Bangladesh to India. The 76 year old, longest serving PM of Bangladesh has been absent from her position amid the political unrest in the nation and it is finally reaping its fair share of trouble on Indian exports to the neighbouring nation. “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 of Pharmexcil (Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India) said. Bhanu further said that Bangladesh being a neighbour with a 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. (source: News 18)
30% of Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical ingredient imports, covering both large and medium scale companies, goes from India. 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.” According to official government statistics, India’s exports to Bangladesh experienced a decline in the financial year 2024-25. A closer examination of the government data reveals that exports to Bangladesh exhibited fluctuations throughout the financial year 2024-25, with a notable slowdown in June.
In the year 2023, as Rajeev Taneja, CEO of Global care, a medical value travel company known to assist NRI patients in receiving treatment in India, told News18 that they have witnessed the highest number of patients from Bangladesh, accounting for fifty percent of total international patients. Making it more obvious than not that the socio-political trouble has also affected the influx of patients from Bangladesh to India, causing cancellation of appointments and unpaid dues. Ishaan Dodhiwala, the co-founder of MediJourn, a medical travel company highlighted, “The unrest in Bangladesh had undeniably impacted the flow of patients seeking treatment in India, presenting some challenges for healthcare providers and related services,”. The effect of the medical tourism crash is not just on the revenues of the hospitals expecting Bangladeshi patients but also rips off the access to quality healthcare from those in need.?
The patients rely on India’s medical expertise for life saving treatments and the blocked borders, the lost consignments and overall disrupted political stability of their nation is hindering their access to the same. While on the receiving end, the hospitals are suffering monetary losses from their international clients. "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," said the Director General of Pharmexcil. The country is still in a volatile state and the expectations of improvement are low, amidst this the loss that the pharma and medical tourism sector is facing, will continue to face for a bit longer.
Credits: Sneha Kumar