By Muhammad Luqman
Deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan have started casting shadows on the health tourism in region as Indian embassy has rejected the medical visa application of a 25-year old Pakistani woman who was to travel to India for treatment.
“ Indian embassy has cited the deteriorating relations between the two countries as the reason,” Perveen Akhtar , the mother of the patient was quoted by media.
Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Ghaziabad was to provide surgical treatment to Faiza Tanveer for a recurrent ameloblastoma, a cancerous oral tumour which is aggressive in nature.
The hospital had invited Tanveer and her mother Parveen Akhtar to India for treatment, requesting a 20-day medical visa for the duration of their stay in the country.
Akhtar said that they were told by the Pakistani surgeons that chemotherapy would be challenging as the target area is a particularly sensitive one, given the close proximity to her ears, nose and eyes.
They were told that Jinnah Hospital would be able to perform chemotherapy, but Tanveer’s eyeball would need to be removed for the process, which Tanveer and her mother were unwilling to opt for.
Treatment in India is cheaper than in the United States or Singapore, Akhtar said, adding, that was why they opted for treatment in India.
IDCH had quoted the cost of treatment to come to about $20,000, and Tanveer’s classfellows had raised Rs1.6 million for the Lahori’s treatment, Akhtar said, adding that they had deposited Rs1m with IDCH already.
However, due to the rejection of the visa application, Tanveer will be unable to avail treatment in India.
