Deb plan for new hospital

TT, Siliguri, June 26: North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb today said he would soon approach Mamata Banerjee with a proposal to set up a second campus of the Siliguri district hospital on Sevoke Road.

The proposed facility would be built on the premises of Deshbandhu Chest Clinic (Siliguri Tuberculosis Unit), also known as Siliguri TB hospital.

"We are planning to establish a second campus of SDH on the campus of Siliguri TB hospital on Sevoke Road. I have spoken to the CMOH (chief medical officer of health) of Darjeeling and asked him to prepare a status report on the tuberculosis unit. Once the report is prepared, I will meet the chief minister and apprise her of the necessity of the second campus (of the district hospital)," Deb told reporters this afternoon.

Sources said the report is likely to be ready in a week.

"The district hospital caters for the entire population of Siliguri civic area and some adjoining areas of Jalpaiguri. There is immense pressure on the establishment and we need to open a new unit so that the workload of doctors, paramedics and other staff members can be divided. Also, patients would get better treatment," said Deb, who is also the chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti at the district hospital.

An official of the district hospital said there are 365 beds in the hospital and most are full. Many have to be accommodated on the floor. "Around 1,000 patients visit the outpatient department daily. Considering the steady rise in population of Siliguri and its surroundings, it is important that the town gets another government hospital," he said.

The district hospital is the only government health establishment in Siliguri Municipal Corporation area for specialised treatment. There is a clinic run by SMC at Dabgram which is for basic ailments.

"We have opened a fair price medicine shop, CCU, dialysis and CT scan units and an emergency observation ward at the district hospital. There is hardly any space left on the premises," Deb said.

The TB clinic operates as an outdoor facility and the place where people would be admitted earlier is lying vacant.

"When the Congress-led civic board was at the helm, the SMC had made a plan to open a hospital in PPP mode. The project did not turn to reality," a health official said. "The district hospital is the only government facility. The next option is North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, 5km away, where there is always a rush."

Asked about the facilities that the new campus might have, Deb said: "We would like to build it as a super-speciality hospital with all facilities available at the district hospital."

Political observers said Deb's move was aimed at securing support. "The area where he is planning to set up the hospital is in his constituency (Dabgram Fulbari). If the project takes off, it will help him consolidate support," an observer said.

Today, Trinamul Youth workers of Dabgram-Fulbari submitted a memorandum to Deb. "They came to draw my attention to some of the local issues," the minister said.