EBL & Mastercard team to launch prepaid card for medical tourism

By Gloria Mathias

Eastern Bank (EBL) has collaborated with Mastercard to launch a prepaid card for medical tourism, which will simplify Bangladeshi patients’ access to healthcare in India.

The new dual currency card features exclusive offers, such as a 10% discount on inpatient hospital bills across 120+ hospitals in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, and other cities with no cap on the amount. It will also provide cardholders complimentary dental and eye checkups, along with a complimentary day trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra or a city tour during their visit to India.

These offers are designed to enhance cardholders’ medical tourism journey along with travel arrangements, no-cost airport transfers in India, and access to Mastercard Flight Delay Pass, which provides an improved airport experience.

To avail of these offers, cardholders will simply need to submit a treatment inquiry on a dedicated web page by EBL and select the most appropriate treatment option and cost estimate from a wide network of hospitals in India. They will also receive comprehensive support services, including assistance with medical visas, hotel accommodations, doctor appointments, and on-site support.

Cardholders will also receive other benefits, such as 24/7 cash withdrawals worldwide, discounts at EBL’s partner merchants and access to over 7,000 domestic merchant partner outlets of Mastercard in Bangladesh.

Vikas Varma, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia at Mastercard, said, “This collaboration reiterates Mastercard’s commitment to streamline domestic and cross-border payments in the healthcare sector. It also underlines the company’s vision of leveraging innovation to support new use cases, such as those combining healthcare and travel. Along with providing unmatched security and convenience to cardholders in Bangladesh, this new card will also contribute to the growth of medical tourism to India.”

Ahmed Shaheen, Additional Managing Director, Eastern Bank PLC, said, ‘We are proud to pioneer the first prepaid medical tourism card in collaboration with Mastercard, revolutionizing healthcare accessibility for our customers. With exclusive discounts on hospital bills, complimentary health check-ups, and curated travel experiences, we are committed to ensuring a seamless and rewarding medical tourism experience for our customers. This initiative reaffirms our position as a leader in customer-centric product and service solutions.”