Siliguri: With the aim of managing the growing rush of patients, Siliguri District Hospital has introduced evening Outpatient Department (OPD) services. The service was inaugurated on Monday evening by Gautam Deb, the Mayor and a member of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Mayor said that there had long been a demand for evening services. “There was a need for evening consultations, so this has been introduced. Now everyone will be able to consult doctors here,” he stated.
Siliguri District Hospital witnesses an average footfall of nearly 3,000 patients every day.
Patients not only from Siliguri but also from various parts of the subdivision, hills, and several northern districts, along with neighbouring states Bihar and Sikkim, visit the hospital.
However, many patients had to return without consultation as the ticket counter used to close at 2 PM.
With the introduction of the evening OPD, the ticket counter will now remain open until 4 PM. Doctors from four key departments — Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Medicine, and Surgery — will be available during the evening hours.
Tulsi Pramanik, the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of Darjeeling, who was present at the inauguration, said, “There is a huge demand for doctors for mothers and children, so specialists from these departments will be available in the evening.
Additionally, many patients require surgical consultations,” he said.
He further added that the patient load increases significantly during summer, making it difficult to attend to everyone within the earlier OPD hours. “Now, no patient will have to return without being seen,” he assured.
Although the service has been launched, not all patients are aware of it yet. Hospital authorities have decided to make announcements through the public address system and inform patients through the Patient Assistance Centre to ensure wider awareness.