Bangladeshi girl recovers after rare pancreatic tumour surgery in Kolkata despite visa delays

Time of India

02-05-2025

An 18-year-old Bangladeshi girl, suffering from a potentially fatal tumour in her pancreas, waited eight months for life-saving surgery in a Kolkata hospital. The surgery was successfully conducted last month.
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Her appeal for a medical visa kept getting cancelled due to the Indo-Bangla border tension that has prevailed since August 2024, and she was forced to look for treatment elsewhere. However, hospitals in several Southeast Asian countries, which she visited, refused to conduct the surgery without removing some of her organs. Mehroon Ali (not her real name), the girl, was determined to visit a Kolkata hospital that said her organ could be saved and chose to wait.
Her decision proved wise, and she got rid of the tumour at the Kolkata hospital without losing any organ. After the preliminary diagnosis of the state of the tumour, doctors marked her disease as 'Solid Pseudopapillary Epithelial Neoplasia' (SPEN), which occupied almost her entire pancreas. Initially, she applied for an Indian Medical Visa, but her appeal was rejected every time due to the cross-border turbulent phases.
Meanwhile, she visited some other countries and consulted cancer specialists. According to their suggestions, without the removal of some of her organs, a successful operation of this specific tumour was not possible.
Mehroon was not ready to undergo the removal of multiple organs as that might have affected her physical well-being in the future. Her family contacted Suddhaswatta Sen, Senior Consultant, GI-HPB Colorectal and Cancer Surgery at Techno India DAMA Hospital.
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Her clearance of the medical permit took nearly eight months, which was quite a lengthy duration, leading to the aggravation of the tumour in her pancreas.
The size of the tumour increased to 15-10 cm, thus turning heavier and making the surgery more risky. The hospital took all the imperative measures and provided the necessary assistance to Mehroon for the clearance of her medical visa. It took around eight months for the clearance, and she finally got admitted to the hospital on April 20.
The surgery was done on April 22.
Solid Pseudopapillary Epithelial Neoplasia (SPEN) is a very uncommon disease, according to Suddhasattwa Sen, Consultant Chief GI HPB Colorectal and Oncosurgery, Techno India DAMA Hospital. "One in a crore usually suffers from this particular ailment. In the case of Mehroon, the size of the tumour was unusually big, spreading across her head, neck, and body. The life risk was high, but she survived the operation.
Despite the high political tension across the two nations, the citizens of Bangladesh are still hopeful of the healthcare facilities available in India. We treat patients without any discrimination," said Sen.
Sen and his team did the surgery, preserving the spleen and other organs, without much blood loss. The patient did not require a blood transfusion, and her other organs remained intact. She did not even have to be moved to an ICU after the critical surgery.
The expert team successfully removed the tumour from her body. The patient is currently under observation and is responding to the treatment.
The number of Bangladeshi patients has come down to a trickle across several private hospitals in Kolkata. "India witnessed a 48% increase in medical tourists from Bangladesh in 2023 compared to 2022. The Bangladeshi population is heavily dependent on the Indian healthcare sector.
The disruptions over the last eight months have taken a heavy toll, and medical travel has taken a big hit. Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia attract a lot of medical tourists from Bangladesh, and a chunk of patients have been moving to these countries instead of Kolkata," said Prashant Sharma, Chairman of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Health Wing and the MD of Charnock Hospital.
An 18-year-old Bangladeshi girl, suffering from a potentially fatal tumour in her pancreas, waited eight months for life-saving surgery in a Kolkata hospital.
The surgery was successfully conducted last month. Her appeal for a medical visa kept getting cancelled due to the Indo-Bangla border tension that has prevailed since August 2024, and she was forced to look for treatment elsewhere. However, hospitals in several Southeast Asian countries, which she visited, refused to conduct the surgery without removing some of her organs. Mehroon Ali (not her real name), the girl, was determined to visit a Kolkata hospital that said her organ could be saved and chose to wait.
Her decision proved wise, and she got rid of the tumour at the Kolkata hospital without losing any organ. After the preliminary diagnosis of the state of the tumour, doctors marked her disease as 'Solid Pseudopapillary Epithelial Neoplasia' (SPEN), which occupied almost her entire pancreas. Initially, she applied for an Indian Medical Visa, but her appeal was rejected every time due to the cross-border turbulent phases.
Meanwhile, she visited some other countries and consulted cancer specialists. According to their suggestions, without the removal of some of her organs, a successful operation of this specific tumour was not possible.
Mehroon was not ready to undergo the removal of multiple organs as that might have affected her physical well-being in the future. Her family contacted Suddhaswatta Sen, Senior Consultant, GI-HPB Colorectal and Cancer Surgery at Techno India DAMA Hospital.
Her clearance of the medical permit took nearly eight months, which was quite a lengthy duration, leading to the aggravation of the tumour in her pancreas.
The size of the tumour increased to 15-10 cm, thus turning heavier and making the surgery more risky. The hospital took all the imperative measures and provided the necessary assistance to Mehroon for the clearance of her medical visa. It took around eight months for the clearance, and she finally got admitted to the hospital on April 20.
The surgery was done on April 22.
Solid Pseudopapillary Epithelial Neoplasia (SPEN) is a very uncommon disease, according to Suddhasattwa Sen, Consultant Chief GI HPB Colorectal and Oncosurgery, Techno India DAMA Hospital. "One in a crore usually suffers from this particular ailment. In the case of Mehroon, the size of the tumour was unusually big, spreading across her head, neck, and body. The life risk was high, but she survived the operation.
Despite the high political tension across the two nations, the citizens of Bangladesh are still hopeful of the healthcare facilities available in India. We treat patients without any discrimination," said Sen.
Sen and his team did the surgery, preserving the spleen and other organs, without much blood loss. The patient did not require a blood transfusion, and her other organs remained intact. She did not even have to be moved to an ICU after the critical surgery.
The expert team successfully removed the tumour from her body. The patient is currently under observation and is responding to the treatment.
The number of Bangladeshi patients has come down to a trickle across several private hospitals in Kolkata. "India witnessed a 48% increase in medical tourists from Bangladesh in 2023 compared to 2022. The Bangladeshi population is heavily dependent on the Indian healthcare sector.
The disruptions over the last eight months have taken a heavy toll, and medical travel has taken a big hit. Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia attract a lot of medical tourists from Bangladesh, and a chunk of patients have been moving to these countries instead of Kolkata," said Prashant Sharma, Chairman of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Health Wing and the MD of Charnock Hospital.