Kolkata: In a bid to overhaul the state’s healthcare landscape, the govt on Monday announced a series of medical and health initiatives during the presentation of the state budget. The major highlights include the setting up of a second AIIMS and a dedicated cancer specialty hospital in north Bengal, alongside the creation of four new medical colleges.The four new medical colleges will be established in Alipurduar, Kalimpong, West Burdwan and South Dinajpur, while the existing Suri Superspecialty Hospital in Birbhum will be elevated to a full medical college.Together, the state will also add 650 MBBS seats across 13 medical colleges and more than 450 postgraduate seats across the state. Additionally, new super-specialty hospitals are slated to come up in the Sundarbans, Purulia, and Darjeeling.The state is launching the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, which will distribute quality generic medicines at 50% to 80% less than branded equivalents through dedicated Kendras. Furthermore, Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) stores will be set up in all district and subdivisional hospitals, offering life-saving drugs, surgical disposables, and costly implants at steep discounts ranging between 50% and 90%.Rural and remote healthcare access will see targeted interventions. Existing hospital facilities in Haripal, Bamangola, Farakka, Digha, Jhalda, and Manbazar are set for major upgrades. Trauma Care Centres will be built at popular tourist destinations like Digha, Darjeeling, and Farakka, and the Bidi Workers’ Hospital in Murshidabad will undergo modern modernization. Notably, a specialized motor boat ambulance service and island-based child delivery centres will be deployed to serve the difficult terrain of the Sunderbans.The govt aims to position Bengal as a preferred destination for global medical value tourism by setting up a new AYUSH department and establishing five regional medical hubs. Private organizations will be invited to construct state-of-the-art hospitals under a partnership model requiring them to provide 50% of their beds either entirely free of cost or at highly subsidized rates.Finally, addressing a long-standing welfare requirement, the govt has revised the cooked diet rate for patients in govt hospitals for the first time since 2017, nearly doubling the allocation for a standard rice plate from ₹56.6 to ₹110..
