‘Soon, 16-bed Burn Care Unit to be set up at North Bengal Med Hospital’

Siliguri: With the aim of enhancing critical care services, a 16-bed Burn Care Unit is set to be established soon at the Trauma Care Unit of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH).

According to hospital authorities, work on preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) is already underway following official directives. The Central government has sanctioned Rs 1.2 crore for the project. Once complete, the new unit will provide advanced care for patients suffering from burn injuries. Dr Sanjay Mallick, Superintendent of NBMCH, said: “The fund sanctioned by the Union government was also allocated for both the Trauma Care Unit and the Burn Care Unit. While the Trauma Care Unit was completed earlier, the Burn Care Unit remained pending. Now, that phase has begun and we are hopeful that the unit will become operational soon.”

Hospital sources also revealed that a Burn Care Unit had previously been set up at the Super Speciality Block under the Plastic Surgery department, but it is yet to become functional due to a shortage of specialist doctors. However, with the establishment of the new 16-bed facility, hospital authorities have assured that more doctors will be recruited to address the gap.

Meanwhile, a mini Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab) is also planned for installation at NBMCH. A formal proposal has been sent to the state Health department.

“The Central government was supposed to send the necessary equipment for setting up a full-fledged Cath Lab, but it hasn’t arrived yet. In the meantime, we are working on establishing a mini Cath Lab. We hope to receive the required equipment soon,” Dr Mallick added. A Cath Lab is a specialised medical unit used to perform minimally invasive cardiac procedures involving catheters. It plays a crucial role in diagnosing and treating heart and vascular conditions without the need for open-heart surgery.