Click to play videoNew Delhi: Indo-Pak peace talks might have been badly hit after the Mumbai attacks, but that has still not deterred Pakistani patients from heading to India. Many are still heading to India fearless to get respite from all their health problems.
Yousuf Tarar had come to India for his father's liver transplant. But a few days later the Mumbai attacks happened and the fate of several Pakistanis who had come to India for treatment hung in balance.
Yousuf says he was not sure how he would be treated and returned to his home country. Little did he know that was in for a pleasant surprise.
“The people we've met here in the hospital are very helpful. They were the ones who persuaded us to not go. People's reaction was absolutely normal. A lot of people knew we were from Pakistan but I did not see any kind of change in their attitude,” Yousuf says.
Despite the warm reception though, the stand off has discouraged new Pakistani patients from coming to India. But doctors say it’s only temporary.
“I do liver transplants and it's not available in Pakistan. So they will end up coming here. In my particular area they will continue to come. There might be a delay but they will continue to come,” says Dr Subhash Gupta.
Also helping is the fact that the air, rail and road links between the two countries have not been suspended and visas for needy patients will continue to be issued.
With the recent Mumbai terror attacks, the Rs 2000 crore medical tourism industry in India has certainly been hit. But the silver lining remains that the faith of the patients already in India has not been shaken.
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