The Medical Value Travel (MVT) Summit 2026 will be held in Chattogram on 14 November to strengthen connections between international hospitals and healthcare organisations and Bangladesh’s medical tourism sector.
Organised by the Chattogram Medical Travel Forum (CMTF), the summit will take place at The Peninsula Chittagong from 10am to 8pm.
Hospitals and healthcare-related organisations from Bangladesh, India, China, Thailand, Malaysia and Iran are expected to participate. Organisers are also working to bring representatives from healthcare organisations based in Europe, Türkiye and Germany to the event.
CMTF announced details of the summit at a press conference at The Pavilion Restaurant in the city’s GEC area today (4 October).
CMTF President Mohammad Abdul Alim Raju, Vice President Nurul Anwar Jibon, Vice President (International Relations) Daud Arman and General Secretary Alauddin Manik attended the press conference.
The organisers said a large number of patients from Chattogram and other parts of Bangladesh travel abroad every year for advanced medical treatment. Patients often face difficulties in selecting hospitals, communicating with doctors, estimating treatment costs, obtaining visas and arranging post-treatment care.
“We are not representatives of any hospital. Our job is to help patients find suitable hospitals and doctors according to their needs and make the entire treatment process easier,” said CMTF President Mohammad Abdul Alim Raju.
“We do not only want to send patients abroad. We also want to create opportunities to bring patients from other countries to Bangladesh. We have many good doctors and healthcare facilities in the country, and these need to be presented to foreign patients,” he said.
Indian medical visa complications
The organisers also highlighted difficulties faced by patients seeking medical visas for India.
Raju said many patients planning to travel to India for treatment are facing problems due to complications in the visa process, and discussions are underway with the relevant authorities.
He said attempts by some people to use medical visas without requiring treatment have created suspicion at airports and immigration points, affecting genuine patients as well.
“We are discussing these issues with the relevant authorities in Bangladesh. However, we have no direct control over another country’s immigration system,” he said.
Focus on bringing foreign patients to Bangladesh
The organisers said one of the key objectives of the summit is to encourage foreign patients to seek treatment in Bangladesh.
They are particularly looking to connect people from neighbouring areas and Bangladeshis living abroad with the country’s healthcare system.
Raju said Bangladesh has many skilled doctors and offers some treatments at comparatively lower costs, creating an opportunity to promote the country as an alternative medical destination for foreign patients.
A network of specialist doctors is also being developed for foreign patients, including specialists in orthopaedics, cancer treatment and other areas.
Local hospitals to participate
Local hospitals will also be allowed to participate in this year’s summit alongside international hospitals.
According to the organisers, local hospitals will be able to showcase their healthcare services, advanced technologies and new treatment methods, while patients will have the opportunity to learn directly about services and treatment options at different hospitals.
The summit will feature B2B meetings, panel discussions and special sessions on various issues concerning the healthcare sector.
The organisers said Chattogram has many skilled doctors but faces some limitations in hospital management, emergency care, infrastructure and round-the-clock availability of doctors. These issues will also be discussed at the summit.
Open to all
The 14 November summit will be open to patients, members of the general public, doctors, hospitals and others involved in the healthcare sector, the organisers said.
Participants will be able to learn about services, treatment costs and opportunities offered by local and foreign hospitals and communicate directly with representatives of healthcare organisations.
The CMTF said hospitals from China, India and Thailand, along with several local and international healthcare organisations, participated in last year’s summit. This year, efforts are underway to expand the range of participating organisations.
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