PESHAWAR: The recent visa restrictions by Pakistani authorities have “drastically” reduced the number of visitors from Afghanistan to Peshawar’s hospitals, claim doctors.

The move to allow entry to only Afghan nationals with valid passports and Pakistani visas came last week in light of the “delicate” law and order situation, according to officials.

They said the curbs had formally been communicated to Kabul for compliance by Afghans seeking to enter Pakistan for one reason or another, but even then, most Afghan patients wanted to cross the Torkham border without valid travel documents.

Doctors of Peshawar’s hospitals told Dawn that the imposition of new visa curbs had caused “health complications” for Afghans seeking cancer treatment or tertiary care services in Peshawar’s hospitals.

Medics insist mostly cancer patients affected by restrictions

They said though in fewer numbers, Afghan patients continued to come over for diagnosis and treatment as their country didn’t have those health services.

The doctors said visa restrictions had badly hit Afghans wanting follow-up checkups and treatment at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) in Peshawar or surgeries in private hospitals.

They said after the introduction of visa curbs, only 10–12 emergency cases were allowed to enter Pakistan on a daily basis, unlike in the past, when the number was around 120.

The doctors added that 75 per cent of those patients suffered from cancer.

Medical practitioners in the provincial capital’s private hospitals told Dawn that patients requiring follow-up examinations and treatment developed health complications due to delayed visitors to the hospitals.

“Afghanistan doesn’t have a good healthcare system. The war that lasted decades not only destroyed its big hospitals but also forced medics to go abroad for employment. Now, the [Afghan] people are banking on Pakistani hospitals for specialised healthcare,” a doctor told Dawn.

He said the majority of Afghans visited the SKMCH&RC for chemotherapy and other services that weren’t available in their own country.

Visa curbs have badly hit private hospitals as well, many of which have established special desks to cater for Afghans coming over with Persian-speaking attendants, according to doctors.

“This is bad for both Afghan patients and hospitals. Authorities should allow patients entry to Pakistan after checking hospital documents,” a senior surgeon at a private medical centre told Dawn.

He said lower patient arrivals had financial implications for the hospitals.

The surgeon said while strengthening security checks, the government should allow the Afghans badly in need of treatment.

Another private hospital’s administrator told Dawn that visa restrictions for Afghan nationals were a loss to the national economy.

“Not only are new curbs massive suffering for Afghan patients, but they’re a lost opportunity for our economy,” he said.

The administrator said children suffering from minor health issues developed complications due to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

He said Afghan nationals used to cross the border for medical examination and treatment in hospitals without hindrance, but the imposition of visa restrictions had caused serious issues for them.

The doctors said Afghan patients were screened in Jalalabad before departure for the border crossing, where they were checked by medics of the Pak-Afghan Dosti Hospital.

They said those patients were examined by X-ray and ECG machines and underwent lab testing and security checking before being sent to Pakistani hospitals.

The doctors said Peshawar hospitals received Afghans with heart, liver, kidney, stroke, orthopedics, diabetes, and eye, psychological, gynecological, and acute emergency issues.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2024