SSKM hospital to add 600 more beds by January

Kolkata: The capacity of beds is going to be increased at the SSKM Hospital from January next year. According to sources, around 600 beds are likely to be increased at the hospital out of which 500 would be general beds while the rest 100 would be available at the Critical Care Unit of the hospital. It was learnt that an order has reached the hospital from the Swasthya Bhavan asking the hospital officials to put in place the necessary arrangements within two months. The decision was taken by the state Health department after it saw that a huge number of patients from various parts of the state visit the hospital on a regular basis. Some of these patients cannot be accommodated to the hospital due to inadequate number of beds as compared to the huge pressure. The SSKM Hospital is not only the only state-run superspecialty hospital in the state but also is a referral hospital where a huge number of patients come for treatment. It was often seen that the district hospitals also transfer patients to the SSKM Hospital. This creates a huge burden on the hospital. Considering these issues, the Health department officials had taken up initiatives to increase the necessary infrastructure including the increase in the number of beds. It was learnt that number of beds at the Neuro and Nephrology department in the hospital is to be increased to 176 from the existing capacity of 81. A new building will also come up where the new beds would be accommodated. In the new Trauma care centre which will be made operational in the hospital, around 189 beds would be accommodated. The departments like Medicine, Eye, Surgery, Gynecology will also get some more beds.

A senior official of the state Health department said it was a major project of the department through which more number of patients could be accommodated in the hospital.