Patients' kin bear brunt of bankers' strike

KOLKATA: Patients and their family members at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) were seriously inconvenienced as the ATM kiosk in the hospital premises remained shut due to the two-day bank strike.

Like the first day of the bank strike, on the second day as well most of the bank branches were closed including ATMs of many private sector banks. It has caused serious problems to the patients as they failed to withdraw money from the ATM. "We did not know that even ATMs will be closed for two days, as a result we faced difficulties in withdrawing money. We required some cash to undertake some tests at the PPE-run diagnostic center at the hospital," said Mridul Dutta, a patient from Shyambazar who visited the OPD department on Friday.

A private bank ATM near the emergency ward of the hospital remained shut from the morning. Many tests were done at the PPE model as a result patients and their family members often withdraw money from the ATM kiosk, a relative of a patient said.

According to sources, there are 8,500 off bank branches and 11,000 ATMs in the state.