One eye hospital in Calcutta has arranged a bus to ferry patients from different parts of the city to the hospital and back after its doctors were flooded with calls from people in need of consultations.

Priyamvada Birla Aravind Eye Hospital, on the premises of Belle Vue Clinic, has been using one of its buses to ferry patients since Thursday, officials said.

The bus is now operating on two routes — between the hospital and the Ruby crossing on EM Bypass and between the hospital and Ranikuthi — covering a radius of 8km. Hospital officials said they were not charging anything from the patients.

“Since the lockdown, our doctors were getting frantic calls from patients, many of them elderly, for consultation. We have 15 doctors and each was getting 10 calls daily on an average. The patients were unable to come to the hospital because of the lockdown,” said Jayangshu Sengupta, the medical director of the eye hospital.

“There are patients who underwent cornea transplant. They don't know whether their bodies have rejected the transplanted corneas. This is a vision-threatening condition and they need regular follow-ups,” said Sengupta.

He said the hospital tried to tie up with yellow taxis after the state government had announced relaxations and then with app cabs, but both efforts failed. So, they are now using one of their buses to ferry the patients.

Hospital officials said barely any patient opted for the service on the first two days. But on Saturday, as many as 12 had booked a ride.

“We are using the patient database to provide information about the service. Those who are calling are also being informed about it,” said Sengupta.

He said more routes were being planned in consultation with police and the transport department, keeping in mind the containment zones across the city.

The non-availability of transport has also led Disha Eye Hospitals, which has units across the city and adjacent areas, to start tele-consultation.

“We were planning to introduce tele-consultation in the coming days but the lockdown necessitated its introduction right now. We have completed 500 tele-consultations within a week of the launch and are getting 700 to 800 calls daily on our helpline,” said Debasish Bhattacharya, the chairman and managing director of the hospital chain.