Kolkata hospitals to send teams to Bangladesh as patient numbers fall

Major hospitals in Kolkata are planning to send representatives to Bangladesh in the coming weeks as the number of Bangladeshi patients seeking treatment in the Indian city has fallen sharply.

The hospitals are also introducing measures to improve patients’ safety, including dedicated accommodation, partnerships with vetted hotels and guesthouses, and special help desks for Bangladeshi patients, The Times of India reported.

Hospital representatives visiting Bangladesh will meet patients and their families, advise them on accommodation and help ensure they book hotels with valid safety and fire clearances.

The initiatives follow a recent fire at a guesthouse on Free School Street in Kolkata that killed nine people, including seven Bangladeshis. The incident prompted the local administration to crack down on low-cost, unregistered hotels.

The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata subsequently issued a travel advisory urging visitors to book accommodation in advance at hotels with valid safety and fire clearances.

Hospital authorities, however, said following the advisory can be difficult for many Bangladeshi patients, particularly those who travel to Kolkata by road and seek affordable accommodation in and around the city.

Hospitals arrange safer accommodation

BP Poddar Hospital plans to send a delegation to Bangladesh next week. The hospital is also developing dedicated accommodation for Bangladeshi patients near its facility in south Kolkata.

“Our patients’ safety and security are our top priority,” said Supriya Chakraborty, group adviser to BP Poddar Hospital. “We are therefore developing dedicated accommodation close to the hospital with planned security arrangements.”

Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital is also preparing to send a delegation to Bangladesh. It has tied up with several guesthouses and hotels in the Alipore area to provide accommodation options for Bangladeshi patients.

“We want to make them aware of the importance of staying in safe hotels,” said Rupak Barua, CEO of Woodlands and president of the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India. He said the hospital would send patients expected to arrive within the next two weeks a list of guesthouses and hotels in Alipore.

Ruby General Hospital, which previously sent a delegation to Bangladesh to engage with patients, is now setting up a dedicated help desk. The hospital has started contacting patients and preparing a list of nearby accommodation options, said Subhashis Dutta, its general manager (operations).

The hospital will also help patients book rooms before travelling to Kolkata, he said.