Residents demand reintroduction of CCU

Raiganj: The hybrid Critical Care Unit (CCU) at Islampur Sub Divisional Hospital of North Dinajpur district stopped functioning in July. With the absence of this unit, patients are facing great difficulties. The residents of Islampur sub-division demanded that the CCU at Islampur Sub Divisional Hospital be reintroduced at the earliest.

With an objective to provide quality health facilities to people, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 1 inaugurated this six-bedded hybrid CCU. Howver, the hospital discontinued the service after an instance in which the doctor had to face an irate mob following the death of a patient.

A resident of Islampur, Subhas Chakraborty, said: “Islampur Sub Divisional Hospital is around fifty years old. Not only the residents of Islampur sub division, but people from Bihar and bordering areas of Nepal are dependent on this hospital. With the services of the CCU halted, serious patients now have to be shifted to Siliguri to get this service. We demand immediate reintroduction of CCU service.”

Kanaiyalal Agarwal, Chairman of Rogi Kalyan Samity of Islampur Sub Divisional Hospital, stated: “The CCU in Islampur was commissioned with a single doctor. Nursing staff were also few. A patient had died in CCU a month back and the doctor had to face aggressive patient party. Since then he has requested for more doctors to work with him. We wrote this to the state government. As soon as the doctors and nursing staff are available, the service will restart.”