The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) authorities have decided to get a hotline service — a dedicated power connection — from the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited to prevent power cuts in the hospital.

Located in Sushrutanagar on the outskirts of Siliguri, the NBMCH is the oldest and largest state-run referral hospital in north Bengal.

“A hotline power connection is a safe and practical technique to allow continuous supply of power. It helps to save regulatory penalties and also prevents costly outages and forced outages,” said a source in NBMCH.

Sanjay Mallick, the hospital superintendent, said they often face power cuts, especially in summer.

“The situation turns acute in summer months. To address this problem, we have sent a proposal to the WBSEDCL, seeking a hotline connection for the NBMCH campus. The Siliguri district hospital already has such a connection,” he said.

Other projects

At the medical college, Mallick said, there is a plan to build a new mortuary.

“The patient welfare committee of the NBMCH has decided that a new mortuary will be constructed soon. Some repair works will be done in the hostels, especially corridors,” Mallick added.

Recently, engineers of state PWD checked the corridor of the interns’ hostel and said it is not in good condition. This made authorities stop students and others from going to the corridors.

“Work for two floors of the PG (postgraduate) hostel will begin soon. It was lying incomplete for some time,” said an official.

To enhance digital surveillance at the campus, 22 CCTV cameras have been installed on an emergency basis, said a source.

“The state PWD has been asked to send an estimate to us so that more such cameras can be put on campus to intensify the vigilance,” mentioned the source.

On Monday, Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb, also the chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti of the hospital, held a meeting at the NBMCH, after which he said a task force would be formed to handle emergencies.

“We have decided to form a task force in NBMCH. It will comprise representatives from various departments. It will deal with emergencies, as sometimes it takes time to convene a meeting of the patient welfare committee. They will meet at least once a month for urgent decisions,” said Deb.