Highlighting that West Bengal must build a healthcare system capable of retaining patients within the state, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday unveiled a wide range of health infrastructure and welfare initiatives to mark National Doctors’ Day as well as the 144th birth anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Ray.
Addressing a programme at the newly rechristened Dr Bidhan Chandra Ray Superspecislity Hospital in Salt Lake, Adhikari said the state should aspire to provide medical care of such quality that people would no longer have to travel elsewhere for treatment.
“When we look at hospitals outside West Bengal, they are filled with patients from our state. We have to ensure that we provide healthcare on such a level that people don’t have to depend on hospitals and facilities of other states for treatment,” he said.
Adhikari renamed the Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Hospital as Dr Bidhan Chandra Ray Multispeciality Hospital, paying tribute to the legendary physician and former West Bengal chief minister, who led the state from 1950 to 1962.
Among major announcements made were the deployment of 200 new ambulances under the 102 emergency service. The fleet will be stationed across the state, primarily to provide free transport for expectant mothers to healthcare facilities.
The government also announced that 10 per cent of beds in private hospitals and nursing homes would be reserved for emergency patients to improve access to critical care.
A central control room was inaugurated at Swasthya Bhavan to strengthen the monitoring and coordination of healthcare services, while a newly renovated auditorium at the health department headquarters was also opened.
The chief minister also remotely inaugurated a new Drug Control office in Nadia district. A new laboratory at the Public Health Unit in Khandaghosh block of East Burdwan district was also inaugurated.
Ayushman Arogya Mandir health centres were also opened at Galsi North in East Burdwan, Shyampur South in Howrah district and Ranichowk in East Midnapore district.
Adhikari also launched the Janani Portal, a digital platform aimed at strengthening maternal healthcare services, and announced the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Matri Vandana Yojana in West Bengal.
A new brachytherapy unit at Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital was inaugurated to enhance cancer treatment facilities in the state.
The state government also felicitated several distinguished doctors for their contribution to healthcare. Those honoured included Dr Sukumar Mukherjee, former Head of the Department of Medicine at Medical College Kolkata; eminent paediatric surgeon Dr Subir Chatterjee of Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital; senior gynaecologist Dr Gita Ganguly Mukherjee; and Dr Shanta Dutta, former Director of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases.
National Doctors’ Day is observed on July 1 to commemorate the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Ray, one of India’s most celebrated physicians and statesmen. Widely regarded as the architect of modern urban development in West Bengal, he is credited with the creation of planned cities and townships such as Salt Lake, Kalyani and Durgapur, besides leaving an enduring legacy in the state’s healthcare system.