Bangladeshis spend $4–5 billion every year on treatment abroad, reports The Daily Star and The Business Standard. That’s more than the government’s annual health budget. Families travel to Kolkata, Chennai, or Bangkok not always for advanced cancer surgeries but for diagnostics, maternity, and cardiology services that should be available at home. Why are we exporting patients while our private hospitals report record revenues?
Profit Over Patient Care?
The numbers tell one story, but patient experiences tell another. Bills at Dhaka’s top hospitals often rival mid-tier facilities in India, even though incomes are far lower here. Hospitals are increasingly focused on ARPOB—Average Revenue Per Occupied Bed—a metric borrowed from the hotel industry.
High-margin procedures like cardiac stents, robotic surgeries, and fertility treatments drive up ARPOB. Meanwhile, less profitable services—emergency care, pediatrics, maternal health—are overlooked. For hospitals, it’s smart business. For patients, it’s shrinking access.
The Influence of Investors
Large conglomerates and investors are reshaping Bangladesh’s healthcare landscape. For them, hospitals are not just service institutions—they are assets to scale and optimize. Investment has brought modern equipment and polished facilities, but it also sharpens the focus on profitability.
Doctors are sometimes incentivized on revenue targets rather than patient outcomes. Efficiency rises, but patient trust suffers. When healthcare decisions are guided by return on investment instead of patient well-being, the system risks leaving ordinary Bangladeshis behind.
The Urban-Rural Divide
Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet concentrate the country’s advanced hospitals, yet 65% of Bangladesh’s population lives in rural areas. Many upazilas fall below WHO’s recommended doctor-patient ratio. Families often travel overnight to reach a hospital bed—or cross borders for faster, trusted care.
This imbalance deepens mistrust. Social media overflows with stories of long queues, misdiagnoses, or overbilling, while success stories rarely reach the public eye. The result: even when quality exists, it isn’t believed.
Where is All the Money Going?
The billions spent abroad aren’t always for rare or high-end treatments. A large share goes to routine care Bangladesh can provide. Yet patients continue to leave, believing foreign hospitals are safer, more transparent, and more ethical.
Unless Bangladesh shifts the focus from profits to patient-centred care, the outflow will persist, draining billions while undermining our local system.
A Crisis We Can Still Prevent
The danger is real: once healthcare is fully profit-driven, rebuilding trust becomes incredibly difficult. But the solution is within reach.
- Transparency: Share treatment success rates, billing structures, and doctor credentials openly.
- Trust Building: Highlight doctors who deliver ethical, empathetic, and competent care.
- Balanced Growth: Incentivize rural service, not just urban ARPOB.
- Recognition: Celebrate hospitals and doctors that prioritise patients, not just margins.
Bangladesh has the doctors, the infrastructure, and the potential. What it needs is a commitment to balance business efficiency with patient-centred values.
Final Call
The future of healthcare here hinges on a single choice: do we continue exporting patients—or do we build a system trusted enough to keep them at home?
👉 If you are a hospital or healthcare leader ready to make that shift, now is the moment. Consult with a healthcare brand strategist to reposition your institution, rebuild trust, and ensure that “the business of medicine” never outweighs the mission of care.
FAQ
Q1: How much do Bangladeshis spend on healthcare abroad annually?
Recent estimates from The Daily Star and The Business Standard place the outflow between US$4–5 billion per year.
Q2: Why do patients go abroad even for routine care?
Because of a lack of trust in local healthcare—concerns about overbilling, misdiagnoses, or inconsistent service.
Q3: What is ARPOB in healthcare?
It stands for Average Revenue Per Occupied Bed, a business metric hospitals use to track revenue per patient bed. It often incentivizes high-margin treatments over essential services.
Q4: Can Bangladesh provide the same quality of care as India or Thailand?
Yes, many Bangladeshi doctors are internationally trained and capable. The issue is less about competence, and more about transparency, patient experience, and visibility.
