City hospitals empty out as staff return to dist home towns to vote

Kolkata: Several hospitals are apprehending a staff shortage as hundreds of employees plan to leave for their home towns for the first-phase elections on April 23. At many facilities, OPD appointments and planned surgeries are being deferred or scheduled earlier while election rosters have been created to serve patients and keep operations running with local staff who won't be voting on that day. It will increase work pressure but can be managed more easily than previous elections that were held on multiple days over a longer period, said hospitals.Ruby General Hospital has started skipping April 23 and 29 while scheduling surgeries and OPD appointments. "Since we expect a sharp fall in the number of OPD patients, staff requirement, too, will be less," said chief manager-operations Subhashis Datta. However, he added that April 29 — when Kolkata will vote — would be another challenge. Desun Hospital, too, has decided to reschedule planned surgeries and OPD appointments for the convenience of patients. It has put in place a ‘structured duty roster' to ensure seamless healthcare delivery on the polling days, at both Kolkata and Siliguri units. "Emergency and critical services will function uninterrupted," said Sajal Dutta, chairman & MD, Desun Hospital.At BP Poddar Hospital, a considerable number of staffers will go home to the districts, including Midnapore, Burdwan, Purulia and the entire north Bengal. "Duty rosters have been aligned with the polling schedule so that those who may not be able to rejoin duties on the same day are accommodated, with their responsibilities covered by colleagues," said Supriyo Chakrabarty, group advisor, BP Poddar Hospital."For April 29 as well, both OPD and operation theatre services will remain functional according to regular routine, with no separate or revised timing. While a few elective procedures, like knee replacements, have been scheduled earlier, all critical and time-sensitive surgeries, including cardiac and general surgeries, will proceed strictly as planned," he added.Woodlands Hospital, too, has prepared a roster for April 23, when a large section of its nurses and non-medical staff will leave to vote. "On both election days, services will remain normal. On April 29, we are not deferring any surgery or OPD. If doctors wish, they can defer the timing and date of surgeries or appointments," said CEO Rupak Barua.Get real-time updates and result insights on the CBSE 12 Result 2026.