Sushma swamped by requests from Pakistanis, so India asks Pakistan to endorse patients for treatment

[Margarita]

Due to the low number of medical visas issued, Pakistan contributed only $6 million to India’s services exports compared to $343 million by Bangladesh in 2015-16

New Delhi: India has asked Pakistan to endorse all its nationals wishing to travel to India to avail of medical care facilities offered in the country, the Indian government said on Wednesday.

The aim of the demand is to ensure that genuine and needy patients get medical care and attention, the Indian foreign ministry said.

“What has happened is that external affairs minister (Sushma Swaraj) herself was receiving these requests from Pakistani nationals addressed to her... She was receiving these requests on emails and social media and to ascertain that these are genuine requests, what we have suggested to Pakistan is that their foreign minister or foreign affairs advisor to the Pakistani prime minister sends a recommendation letter that this is the patient and they want to get treatment done in India,” said Gopal Baglay, spokesman of the Indian foreign ministry.

“It is very difficult to make decisions based on requests received by emails and on social media,” he said. “How do we know they require medical treatment in India? If the foreign policy advisor sends a letter, then we will immediately issue the visa,” he said.

According to a recent survey on export of health services by directorate general of commercial intelligence and statistics, under the commerce ministry, the highest average earnings per patient through export of health services from India comes from Pakistan at $2,906.

Pakistan is followed by Bangladesh ($2,084), CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries ($1,950), Russia ($1,618) and Iraq ($1,530), according to the survey.

This means a patient from Pakistan visiting a hospital in India spends more than people from any other country, boosting India’s foreign exchange reserves.

But the number of medical visas issued to Pakistani patients in 2015-16 stood at a measly 1,921 compared to 58,360 to patients from Bangladesh and 29,492 to patients from Afghanistan.

Due to the low number of medical visas issued, Pakistan contributed only $6 million to India’s services exports compared to $343 million by Bangladesh in 2015-16.

Pakistani nationals can get visitor visas of six months to meet relatives or friends or any other legitimate purpose and the duration of stay in India at a time shall not exceed three months.

“However, senior citizens (above 65 years of age) or a Pakistan national married to an Indian and their children below 12 years of age accompanying parents may be granted two years’ visit visa with multiple entries subject to certain conditions,” minister of state in the ministry of home affairs Kiren Rijiju said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha earlier this month.

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/qh...equests-so-India-asks-Pakistan-to-endors.html

 

[Margarita]

Medical visa only on Sartaz Aziz's recommendation: India to Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Only a letter of recommendation by Pakistan Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz will enable a Pakistani national to get a medical visa for India, the External Affairs Ministry said today, a condition reflective of the strained ties between the two neighbours.

Though MEA Spokesperson Gopal Baglay termed as "baseless" reports that India has stopped giving medical visas to Pakistani citizens, he made it clear that only a recommendation letter by Aziz will be cleared "immediately"

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...on-india-to-pakistan/articleshow/58613220.cms

 

[Taimoor Khan]

I heard most of the medical related visits are due to cheap and readily available organ donors available in India which are hard to find in Pakistan.

 

[Indiran Chandiran]

I heard most of the medical related visits are due to cheap and readily available organ donors available in India which are hard to find in Pakistan.

You mean your people won't mind a kafir's blood or organ in your bodies ? That's quite an admission . I thought a true Pakistani Muslim would rather die than receive another shot at life in Gangaland .

 

[MilSpec]

Must be fake news. Pakistan has better medical facilities than India, doesn't it?

 

[MultaniGuy]

I would never go to India for health services.

I would go to the west for that or the gulf countries.

 

[Taimoor Khan]

You mean your people won't mind a kafir's blood or organ in your bodies ? That's quite an admission . I thought a true Pakistani Muslim would rather die than receive another shot at life in Gangaland .

Organ is an organ, it doesn't come with kafir or muslim label written on it. Those Pakistanis who are fighting for their lives and can pay for organ, and can't find among Pakistanis, whereas organs are readily available among 1 billion nation next door, majority of them are poor and willing to sell their organs, it does make sense. It's the same case where many surrogate mothers are readily available for womb for hire in India.

Cheap labour.

 

[JohnyD]

I heard most of the medical related visits are due to cheap and readily available organ donors available in India which are hard to find in Pakistan.

height of everything...but even if I take it positively, how selfish people you are that you dont donate organs to your own people...may be to save your son, you wont give up you own kidney but will look up to India to see if there is any donor...! pathetic ...come back to the ground level reality, you dont have the facilities and the person in need wont see its India or US when his son is dying and he cant get the required treatment in his own country which he can afford!

 

[Bhupendra Singh_Cyan]

I would never go to India for health services.

I would go to the west for that or the gulf countries.

You might have the money for it, what about a common citizen? It's good to keep coming of Pakistani here.
Good for relationship atleast with common citizens.
Can't say Shit about politicians

 

[Taimoor Khan]

Ooparwaala insaan ko sab kuch De par galat faymee na De.

Aur ghareebi bhi na day. Insaan ko kia kia kearney par majboor karte hai.

 

[Chhatrapati]

I would never go to India for health services.

I would go to the west for that or the gulf countries.

To end up in the hand of an Indian doctor
Majority of the Pakistani's are not rich like you. They grab opportunity for better medical treatment. India has a soaring medical tourism industry. That also handles western clients. Even from GCC countries. Irony much

 

[CHACHA"G"]

Treatment of Liver Cancer is easily available in India and this treatment also not expensive. In Pakistan we have few facilities , So people with money wont wait for long, they travel to India ,
By the way Indian Medical Industry is very strong , Pakistan is also improving with better and advance Hospitals , But we still short in numbers for critical illnesses treatment facilities .
If Indian want more money they can issue more visas , I think India can add 100M $$$$ every year.

 

[Taimoor Khan]

height of everything...but even if I take it positively, how selfish people you are that you dont donate organs to your own people...may be to save your son, you wont give up you own kidney but will look up to India to see if there is any donor...! pathetic ...come back to the ground level reality, you dont have the facilities and the person in need wont see its India or US when his son is dying and he cant get the required treatment in his own country which he can afford!

LOL. We got top notch facilities and doctors who can piss over Indian docs and facilities any day. Even when I visit Pakistan, I book my appointments to get thorough checkup with Pakistani docs as I trust them more then ones in UK.

I am not very clued up with medical science but I believe organ transplant is just not a simple case of finding someone randomly and get organ just like that. It has to match. Your "donating" analogy doesn't hold much ground on medical terms. With you 1 billion people, with crushing poverty, there are many people who are willing to give, not donate, organs for cash.

I am not condoning this, its an exploitation of humanity. But for you chest thumping Indians, it should be matter of shame. Even Pakistanis are exploiting.

 

[Jackdaws]

LOL. We got top notch facilities and doctors who can piss over Indian docs and facilities any day. Even when I visit Pakistan, I book my appointments to get thorough checkup with Pakistani docs as I trust them more then ones in UK.

I am not very clued up with medical science but I believe organ transplant is just not a simple case of finding someone randomly and get organ just like that. It has to match. Your "donating" analogy doesn't hold much ground on medical terms. With you 1 billion people, with crushing poverty, there are many people who are willing to give, not donate, organs for cash.

I am not condoning this, its an exploitation of humanity. But for you chest thumping Indians, it should be matter of shame. Even Pakistanis are exploiting.

Do you have any source to back up this claim of yours that a majority of Pakistanis come here to get donated organs? Or is it a figment of your imagination?

 

[Tom M]

I heard most of the medical related visits are due to cheap and readily available organ donors available in India which are hard to find in Pakistan.

Sorry to say but Cheap is your comment than the organ since it's "Organ Donation" and some one is donating the Organ of his/her loved once to save the life of others, it's priceless. But to know that you should change your views apart from Cheap point scoring. Shame on you. :-(

I would never go to India for health services.

I would go to the west for that or the gulf countries.

And make sure that the Hospital and the Doctor is not an Indian there, because most top doctors and quite a few good hospitals in the gulf are owned by Indians. LOL