Kurseong hospital to be refurbished

BIRESWAR BANERJE, TT, 7 September 2019, Siliguri: The sub-divisional hospital in Kurseong, which is one of the oldest hospitals in the Darjeeling hills that was set up in 1880, will soon have an enhanced capacity and additional infrastructure that will benefit thousands of residents residing in the town and the suburbs.

The Bengal health department has sanctioned Rs 81 lakh to carry out renovation and beautification work, following a proposal that was sent to the state government through the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) seeking improvement in infrastructure, including more beds and new facilities at Kurseong sub-divisional hospital. (Kundan Yolmo) the hospital. "The state has sanctioned Rs 51 lakh for beautification of the hospital campus, which is in a dilapidated condition. Also, an old building of the hospital will be renovated so that additional facilities can be introduced for patients. An additional sum of Rs 30 lakh will be used for this work," said Binny Sharma, chairman of Rogi Kalyan Samity of the hospital, here on Friday.

The health establishment, which is located around 50km from Siliguri, has 31 doctors and 70-odd paramedical staff now.

"It has been decided to increase the number of beds from 120 to 300. Also, more doctors and paramedics would be posted at the hospital," Sharma said.

A source at the hospital said that every day, around 400 patients visit the outpatient departments.

"There is also a plan to open a digital X-Ray unit and install a CT-scan machine," the source said.