A 150-bed joint and brain care hospital has been launched in Sodepur, on the northern fringes of Kolkata, on Saturday for patients with orthopedic, neurological, gastroenterological and nephrological ailments, said officials of the hospital.
Trinamul MP Saugata Roy, who was present at the inauguration of Joint and Brain Care Hospital — Prakriti, said there was an urgent need to have more such specialised hospitals in the city.
“It is sad to see that so many from Bengal have to go to other states for treatment. If you see the trains heading south, you will find hundreds of Bengalis heading for treatment. They cannot afford to get treated here in Bengal,” Roy said.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has tried her best and managed to bring Christian Medical College, Vellore, under the Swasthya Sathi scheme of the Bengal government, but there is still need for more specialised hospitals here, Roy said.
“The more the better. We need better hospitals. The other day a friend complained of a problem in the waist that would need surgery. I advised him to go get treated either in Delhi or in Chennai. For knee replacement, too, I suggest people not to do it in Bengal,” he said.
Apart from Roy, the state minister for women and child development and welfare, Sashi Panja, was among those who were present at the inauguration of the Joint and Brain Care Hospital — Prakriti, which is the second unit of JBCH in Salt Lake.
Joydeeb Banerjee Choudhury, director of the hospital, said JBCH was in an “advanced stage for setting up stem cell research”.