Kolkata: New Town officials bolster health infra in Cov times

Kolkata: New Town will finally get a primary healthcare centre and a polyclinic where residents can visit a doctor for check-up and get basic diagnostic tests done. This has been a long-standing demand of residents of the township where there are plenty of super-speciality hospitals but scant facilities for diagnosis and treatment of common ailments. Though a land has been earmarked for a government medical college and hospital, work is yet to begin.

The healthcare centre that New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has planned will include out-patient department, diagnostic clinic, pharmacy and tele-medicine facility. The polyclinic will be set up by Hidco. To be initially operated as a healthcare centre, it has plans to upgrade it into a full-fledged hospital later.

Tenders have recently been floated for both the facilities.

The Rs 5.5-crore NKDA project will have a three-storied building with floor plate of around 3,200 sq ft each. It will be located near City Centre II mall that has several residential projects in the neighbourhood. The projected timeline for completing it is 18 months.

The project cost of Hidco’s polyclinic-cum-healthcare centre hasn’t been decided yet. “The location has been earmarked near New Town Business Club. The plan will be to start with a polyclinic and healthcare centre and gradually develop the facility into a multi speciality hospital by sprucing up the infrastructure,” said a Hidco official.

“A full-fledged government-run hospital with emergency and in-patient care facilities is the need of the hour at New Town. The NKDA and Hidco’s initiatives are very much welcome,” said resident Subho Dasgupta.