MRI and radiotherapy to be introduced at NBMCH
Posted by barunroy on May 12, 2008
SILIGURI, May 11: MRI, CT scan and radiotherapy facilities would soon be introduced at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. The state urban development minister and the chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti, Mr Asok Bhattacharya said this on Saturday while addressing a convention convened by the NBMCH students’ union and the Junior Doctors’ Council. The minister said that the new facilities would be introduced at the premier hospital of north Bengal on private-public enterprise. “The government lacks resources. It is thus imperative that we must solicit cooperation from the private enterprisers in upgrading the government hospital,” Mr Bhattacharya added.
Taking a dig at the NBMCH management the minister said that it was a common allegation that the medical instruments worth crores purchased for the hospital were not being taken care of. “We know that the hospital does not have sufficient number of X-ray and ultrasonography machines. The government would take initiatives to buy them. But, at the same time, we must ensure that the machines already with the hospital are being properly used and kept in operative form,” Mr Asok Bhattacharya said.
The state health department is thinking in terms of introducing more paying beds for NBMCH. Stating this, the minister said that the state required resources for taking up upgradation work. “Free beds for the poor would be kept intact, yet some more paying beds would be introduced. With the introduction of paying beds the hospital’s resources would be increased and these would be used to bear expenses for the treatment of the poor,” he said.
On behalf of the Junior Doctors’ Council, Dr Prasanta Sarkar said that a JDC delegation would soon meet the chief minister and the health minister in Calcutta to apprise them of the needs of the hospital. “We are hopeful that the hospital would soon see better days particularly for the poverty-stricken multitude who pour into NBMCH from far-flung areas of the region for treatment,” Dr Sarkar said. [The Statesman]
