Private cabins offering corporate healthcare to open at sskm by july - the statesman

If all infrastructure and human resource preparations are finalised on schedule, the Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (IPGME&R) and SSKM Hospital is set to

become the first government-run hospital in West Bengal to provide corporate-style healthcare services. The services will be delivered from a dedicated 10-storey building nearing completion

within the hospital complex, located adjacent to the AJC Bose Road flyover. Advertisement The facility, comprising 168 well-appointed private cabins, each with a balcony overlooking the lush

greenery of the Victoria Memorial and the racecourse, is expected to become operational by July. The initiative aims to offer corporate-standard care to patients willing to pay for enhanced

services. Advertisement Government hospitals and medical colleges across West Bengal typically provide free treatment for both outpatient (OPD) and inpatient services. The Woodburn Ward at

SSKM Hospital remains the only exception within the state’s public healthcare system, where indoor treatment is chargeable. A senior administrative official at SSKM Hospital, speaking on

condition of anonymity, stated: “The private cabins, each with its own balcony, are expected to be inaugurated in July. Infrastructure ranging from ICUs, HDUs, operation theatres, dialysis

units, and pathology and radiology labs, to medical personnel including doctors, nurses and technicians, is ready. The chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, may inaugurate the building, a project

costing around Rs 55 crore.” To ensure the timely commissioning of the private cabins, the hospital has constituted a high-powered committee to oversee all infrastructure-related

preparations. The seven-member committee is headed by Prof Manimoy Bandyopadhyay, director of IPGME&R. Other members include Prof Pijush Kumar Roy, medical superintendent-cum-vice

principal (MSVP), specialists in orthopaedics and critical care, and three non-medical administrative officials. The committee has been holding regular meetings to finalise cabin charges and

address infrastructure issues, such as civil and electrical works handled by the PWD, as well as the installation of medical equipment in the operation theatres, laboratories, and cabins.

Although the facility was initially scheduled to open a year ago, its launch was delayed due to technical setbacks. Advertisement