Government decides to form task force to promote medical tourism

The government has decided to form a task force to promote medical service tourism, with the aim of developing Nepal as a regional medical hub for patients from abroad. The decision was taken at a meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Thursday, October 29, according to Annapurna Post and Ratopati.

The meeting was chaired by Prof. Dr. Jagdish Prasad Agarwal, health advisor to Prime Minister Balendra Shah. Secretaries of the ministries concerned, among them Health Secretary Dr. Bikash Devkota, attended along with operators and representatives of private hospitals. According to Ratopati and Annapurna Post, the discussion covered building a regulatory structure, setting standards for hospital quality and patient safety, and arranging medical visas for foreign patients and those accompanying them. The government has made the policy and institutional reforms needed a priority, the reports said.

What the hospitals asked for

Those taking part from the private sector included Upendra Mahato, chair of Nepal Medicity Hospital; Rajendra Bahadur Singh, chair of Norvic Hospital; Dr. Buddhiman Shrestha, chair of Kantipur Dental College Teaching Hospital; Dr. Binod Bijukchhe of Grande Hospital; Shantaraj Batas of Manipal Teaching Hospital in Pokhara; and Dr. Harish Neupane of Chitwan Medical College, Swasthya Khabar and Nepal Samacharpatra reported.

According to both outlets, the hospital operators said Nepal could attract foreign patients for eye, kidney, cancer and heart treatment, as well as dental care, cosmetic surgery and hair transplants. Patients from Bangladesh are already having kidney transplants at Nepal Medicity Hospital, the reports said. Participants also raised that Bangladeshi patients have been taken to Kunming in China for treatment since relations between India and Bangladesh cooled, and said Nepal could draw them instead.

The operators asked for a medical visa without delay, and Swasthya Khabar reported that they also called for a separate board to promote medical tourism. Mahato said a medical visa had been discussed for about ten years without being put in place, the outlet reported. According to Swasthya Khabar, the government side committed to completing the medical visa process within six months; Batas criticised that timeline as too slow and said the visa could be issued at once.

Coordination and quality

Participants said promoting medical tourism needs coordination beyond the health ministry, with the tourism, home and foreign affairs ministries and other bodies, according to Nepal Samacharpatra. They also called for promoting Nepal's treatment services internationally, certifying hospital services and quality, and organising care after treatment.

The government expects medical tourism to bring in foreign currency, reduce the need for Nepalis to go abroad for treatment and strengthen specialist services at home, according to Ratopati and Annapurna Post.