‘Infrastructure to be developed for night stay of patients’ kin at Balurghat District Hospital’

The night accommodation for the families of patients in Balurghat District Hospital was locked for two years. Now the hospital authority handed over the new building to the municipality. An agreement regarding it was conducted recently between the civic body and the hospital authorities. According to an official source, the accommodation will now be arranged in the three-storeyed building by the concerned civic body. Apart from this, the municipality will work on the canteen and other infrastructure too. Krishnendu Bikas Bagh, superintendent of the hospital, said: “It is a new building. Rogi Kalyan Samiti has given a green signal for the night stay of the patients’ family. The building has been handed over to the municipality. Now the municipality will open a canteen in that building.”

Bipul Kanti Ghosh, MCIC of Balurghat civic body, said: “We have got the building in hand. We will work on building infrastructure for the night stay and food arrangement in that building.”

Incidentally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the building in Raiganj in December 2021 but even after two years, it was not opened. Finally it was handed over to the municipality. Accommodation will be provided on two floors by the municipality. Canteen will be opened on the ground floor.

Many patients come from the remote areas and have to stay at night at the hospital’s waiting room.

Jayanta Das, a resident of Buniadpur, said: “The building for night stay was locked for two years and we have to stay outside at costly hotels if coming to Balurghat for treatment at the District Hospital with patients. It would be excellent if the building at the hospital premises is opened for us.”