Charnock Hospital to convert unused heritage property into super speciality hosp

 Good news for residents of north Kolkata. Charnock Hospital is all set to renovate the ‘once famous’ Lohia Hospital in central Kolkata and transform it into a 200-bed super speciality hospital.

A majestic heritage structure, which was once used to house Lohia Matri Sewa Sadan Hospital, a mother and child hospital, has been lying unutilised for the longest time. On Thursday, Prashant Sharma, MD of Charnock Hospital, announced at a press conference in Kolkata that they have taken up this heritage property, which is over 100 years old, on lease for 60 years and will convert it into a super specialty hospital. Renamed as Charnock Lohia Hospital, the property is spread over one lakh square feet and will have 4-6 OTs, cathlab, 90 ward beds, 20 cabins, 10 bedded emergency units, 70 bedded ICU and a 10 bedded dialysis unit.

“We will not do any structural change. It’s a massive restoration project, which involves repairs of existing structure. We will restore the old world charm of this erstwhile palace, which finds its place in Grade 1 Heritage list of West Bengal,” said Sharma. He also said that there’s a wide gap in private healthcare needs of local residents in north Kolkata. “Patients have to go to the southern part of Kolkata, Salt Lake or Bypass in search of critical care services which is time consuming and in some cases, can prove to be fatal. So, the strategic location of Charnock Lohia Hospital will be beneficial to the residents of north Kolkata,” said Sharma.

Charnock Lohia Hospital will involve an investment of Rs 160 crore and will generate employment for more than 850 people, said Sharma. The restoration work starts from Friday onwards and Sharma hopes to start operations of Charnock Lohia Hospital middle of 2025.