MoU signed for medical tourism between Pakistan, Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have decided to launch a medical tourism plan that will facilitate Afghan patients to get medical visas for Pakistan without going to the embassy, ARY News reported on Thursday.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the private hospital of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and a travel agency in a ceremony which was also attended by the national carrier’s chief executive officer (CEO) Arshad Malik.

The national carrier will operation Airbus A320 aircraft five times a week from Kabul to Islamabad under the medical tourism plan.

Addressing the ceremony, the PIA CEO said that Pakistan-Afghanistan medical tourism is the need of the hour and the national carrier is taking effective step to promote it.

Read: PIA to operate chartered flights between London, Islamabad

He continued that Afghan patients will be issued free medical visas to arrive in Pakistan. The facility will enable Afghans not to head towards other countries for medical treatment.

The medical visa will be conditionally issued on the basis of a confirmed ticket of PIA, said Arshad Malik. Malik said that for medical visas, the people will have to submit their application to PIA’s Kabul office.

Regarding the ongoing flight operation to Afghanistan, Arshad Malik said that PIA is operating five flights on a weekly basis to Kabul and willing to run more flights to other cities like Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif.