As many as 57 per cent of Bangladeshi returnee migrants who were denied medical care in their destination countries took on a huge financial burden at home to cover the costs, according to a new study.
They borrowed Tk 90,000 on average for medical purposes, the Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) study said.
Furthermore, a huge amount of money is remitted out of the country through illegal channels to pay the costs of migrants' treatment abroad and return tickets for those flying back with health complications, it said. There are no official statistics on this money.
The study styled "Health of Bangladeshi Migrant Workers: A Hidden Costs of Migration Burdening Socioeconomic Development" surveyed 1,096 returnees. OKUP Chairperson Shakirul Islam presented the study findings on Sunday.
Of the total, only 334 (30 per cent) migrants received treatment in the destination countries mainly for physical health complications, while 762 (70 per cent) were forced to return.
"Of those forced to return, 57 per cent took loans for treatment as they had no other options," said the study.
Moreover, 27 per cent of migrants claimed employers deducted healthcare expenses from their salaries. On the other hand, 10 per cent who paid for medical care abroad with their own money mostly managed it through loans taken in Bangladesh.
"Due to the early return for health complications and the deduction of treatment costs from workers' salaries, Bangladesh loses a huge amount of remittances every year," the study noted.
Bangladesh is the world's eighth largest migrant sending country. Around 17 million Bangladeshis migrated for overseas jobs from 1976 to 2024, with the annual average standing at around 340,000.
OKUP conducted the study among the returnees who sought support from 2020 to 2023 in seven districts, including Cumilla, Dhaka, Faridpur, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Manikganj, and Munshiganj.
Its chairperson said migrants are recruited when they are found completely fit for work based on mandatory health tests, but they are often forced to return or deported if they become ill.
Mental health problems surpassed physical issues among the returnees, found the study. As many as 52 per cent faced mental health issues while physical problems afflicted 48 per cent.
The majority of migrants, 55 per cent, came back from Saudi Arabia.
Returnees found back pain (25 per cent) as the major health problem they faced upon their return, while other problems included tumours (12 per cent), cardiac and injury-related complications (11 per cent), and other severe conditions, such as cancer, kidney, and uterine infections.
Some surveyed returnees also shared their experiences of how badly they had been treated during their stay abroad, certainly deprived of healthcare support by employers.
Among others, Mohammad Mainul Islam, a professor in the population sciences department at the University of Dhaka; Md Gheas Uddin, joint secretary and director (finance and welfare) at the Wage Earners' Welfare Board; Md Abdul Wadud of the Directorate General of Health Services; Md Mazharul Islam of the International Labour Organisation's Bangladesh chapter; and Md SM Morshed, a national expert at the International Organisation for Migration's Bangladesh chapter; spoke at a panel discussion. Mohammad Shaheen, joint secretary at the expatriates' welfare ministry, spoke as the chief guest. He suggested awareness among those wishing to be migrants.
Admitting the limitations and the co-ordination gap among government agencies, he suggested potential migrants properly go through employment contracts before flying to the destination countries.
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