Kol hosps contact B’desh patients, reschedule appts
Times of India | 22 July 2024
Kolkata: City hospitals have started getting in touch with Bangladeshi patients who were scheduled to be admitted or had consultations booked this week but were forced to defer their trip due to the unrest. Scores from Bangladesh stuck in Kolkata heaved a sigh of relief on Sunday after the Bangladesh Supreme Court scaled down job reservations, paving the way for restoration of peace.Hospitals also hoped that those scheduled for discharge over the next few days but had been sceptical about transport will now be able to go home.
Mahitosh Bir from Dhaka, who had an emergency angioplasty at BP Poddar Hospital last week, has been stranded since he couldn’t communicate with his family back home due to the telecommunication breakdown. “I finally talked to my family on Sunday morning and, with the violence now set to end, I think I will catch a flight back if train or bus tickets are not available,” he said.
Md Amarat Hossain, who had surgery at Ruby General Hospital and was cleared for discharge, had to stay at the hospital since his bus journey got cancelled. “I hope to be get transport now,” he said.
Ramjan Molla, another patient at Ruby, was discharged on Sunday and managed to arrange a “taxi” to take him to the Indo-Bangla border on Monday. “I will travel to Dhaka from there in another vehicle,” Molla said.
“There has been a marked drop in the number of Bangladeshi patients and many have had to reschedule treatment plans, leading to cancellation of appointments and planned admissions. However, once the situation stabilizes, a rebound in numbers is expected given the strong healthcare ties between Bangladesh and Kolkata,” said Prashant Sharma, MD of Charnock Hospital.
BP Poddar had nine planned surgeries on Bangladeshi patients last week, of which eight were cancelled. Three oncology patients are scheduled to be admitted on Monday but they are unlikely to make it, said a representative. “We are rescheduling their appointments. While we receive 55-60 patients from Bangladesh at the OPD per week, 18-22 get admitted. The number had dropped to 10-12 but now, we expect a revival,” said group advisor Supriyo Chakrabarty.
Twenty-five Bangladeshi patients are now admitted across three units of Narayana Hospitals. “The biggest problems these patients are facing are communication and internet-related issues. We hope the situation will now improve in Bangladesh,” said Narayana COO R Venkatesh.
Ruby kept its international desk open on Sunday to communicate with Bangladeshi patients scheduled to arrive over the next 10 days. “Many who have been discharged over the last seven days are stuck in Kolkata and some need follow-up treatment and are waiting for money to arrive from Bangladesh. With internet still suspended, electronic money transfer has stopped and we’re trying to help th-em,” said Subhashis Datta, Ruby GM — operations.
The hospital expects to receive fresh queries for admission from Bangladeshi patients at its Marquis Street office from Monday.