Budget hospitals to be set up across Bengal

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has come out with a new concept for Bengal's health sector 'budget hospital'. A plan to set up such a hospital at the SSKM Hospital campus in Kolkata had already been taken.

Now, a decision has been taken to set up similar Government hospitals across the state.

The five medical college hospitals in Kolkata - SSKM Hospital, Medical College Hospital, RG Kar Medical College Hospital, NRS Medical College Hospital and National Medical College Hospital, Burdwan Medical College Hospital, North Bengal Medical College Hospital and Bankura Sammilani Medical College Hospital, among other hospitals, would build such hospitals within their campuses. These hospitals would be equipped with facilities like private cabins with ACs and TVs, single, double and four-bedded cabins, ICUs, etc.

The user charges would be decided later. These budget hospitals would serve a two-fold purpose: the rush of patients at the general hospitals would lessen as patients with better means would find an alternative inside the same campuses; as a result of competition, private hospitals would have to bring down their costs.