Mayor Gautam Deb announced a slew of new ventures for the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) and Siliguri district hospital on Wednesday and Thursday.

The patient welfare committee of the NBMCH, the region's largest state-run referral hospital located on the outskirts of Siliguri, has decided to increase the number of beds at various departments of its upcoming superspeciality block.

“Once the new superspeciality block becomes operational, more supportive measures for patients like neurosurgery, cath lab, cardiothoracic surgery, CT scan and MRI would be available for patients. We plan to increase the number of beds in different departments which would be set up in this (superspeciality) block,” Deb said on Wednesday at a meeting of the committee that he chairs.

At the meeting, it was also decided to install new CCTV cameras on the premises of the NBMCH to strengthen vigil.

“Earlier, there were allegations that touts are active in the NBMCH area and they misguide and fleece patients and their families on the pretext of helping them in their treatments. To prevent such practices and keep consistent surveillance, new cameras will be installed in important locations,” said a faculty member of the medical college.

In all, around 100 such cameras will be installed.

Deb added that in another month, a mechanised laundry will start working at the NBMCH.

“We are also exploring options to introduce solar power in some of the buildings to reduce power bills of the NBMCH," he said.

On Thursday, Deb held a meeting of Siliguri district hospital's patient welfare committee, which he also chairs. where he said that a centre for mammography will be opened at the hospital.

“These days, breast cancer is a very common disease and this is for the first time that such a facility will be available at a government hospital in this region," the Siliguri mayor said.

An 18 bed critical care unit and two new elevators will start functioning at the hospital, located in the heart of the city, from next month. “The installation work of the blood component separation machine will start soon. It will be yet another new facility that will help hundreds of patients," added Deb.