A day-long International Medical Tourism Conference took place in Dhaka on Saturday, aiming to promote the growth of both the inbound and outbound local medical tourism industry.

Local and foreign hospitals, health service providers, and other medical tourism-related organisations participated in the conference, which was held at Daffodil Plaza in Dhanmondi, according to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Medical Tourism Association (BMTA).

The main objectives of the conference were to foster networking between local and foreign medical service providers and to promote Bangladesh’s local medical tourism industry internationally, organisers said.

The conference also discussed strategies and methods for establishing Bangladesh as an international standard treatment hub and attracting foreign patients to the country, the statement added.

Several sessions were held, covering topics such as the current state of medical tourism, the future potential of the industry, and ways to explore opportunities, while modern treatments for cancer and infertility were also discussed.

Institute of Health Economics at Dhaka University Professor Syed Abdul Hamid and Divisional Director (Health) at DGHS Md Jahangir Alam, among others, were present at the conference.