Patient load prompts Balurghat Dist Hosp to add 100 new beds

BALURGHAT: Balurghat District Hospital has expanded its capacity with the addition of 100 new beds from Friday, taking the total strength from 800 to 900. The new beds have been set up in both the Gynecology and Medicine sections to cope with the mounting pressure of patients, which had reached an alarming level in

recent months.

Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Sudip Das confirmed the development and said preparations for the expansion had started earlier this week and were completed by Thursday. Alongside the extra beds, the hospital has also set up additional toilets for patients and arranged new rooms for nurses to ensure smoother healthcare services.

The step was necessary as doctors and hospital authorities were often compelled to accommodate more than one patient in a single bed due to the skyrocketing pressure.

“This expansion was long overdue. With the huge rush, managing patients had become extremely challenging,” Das said. In a bid to strengthen medical services further, 18 new doctors have recently joined Balurghat District Hospital to address the long-standing crisis of manpower.

According to Das, the authorities are also working to expand facilities in rural areas. At Kushmandi Rural Hospital, the number of beds will soon be increased from 30 to 62 to meet the growing patient demand.