Kolkata's RG Kar hospital says will take a few months to reopen old emergency, solve loo crisis

KOLKATA: The two recent deaths — an emergency patient and the father of an emergency patient — at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital have prompted the health department to issue an order to start the repair work at the original Emergency unit, which was vandalised in the wake of the rape and murder of a medical student a couple of years back. On Tuesday, the health department sanctioned Rs 29 lakh to begin basic repairs.

The original Emergency unit was left in tatters by a mob on the night of Aug 14, 2024, following which the hospital administration was forced to shift it to the ground floor of the Trauma Care building. The present unit is not only cramped but is ill-equipped and lacks facilities for patients as well as staff.

An emergency patient, Biswajit Samanta (60), had to walk about 40m and walk a flight of 24 steps to use the public toilet on Monday, as the Emergency unit in the Trauma Care building does not have a patients' toilet. He collapsed on the toilet door and died.




"We have obtained an NOC from the investigating authority to start the repair work. Immediately after obtaining the NOC, we issued an order for the repair work and sanctioned an initial amount of Rs 29 lakh. The hospital administration has been asked to begin work at the earliest and do so on a war-footing so that emergency services are back soon," said a senior official at Swasthya Bhawan.

On Tuesday, the director of medical education (DME) inspected the Trauma Care building as well as the original Emergency block, which is on the ground floor of the Emergency Building, which also houses the chest medicine seminar room where the 31-year-old PGT was found raped and murdered on Aug 8, 2024.

During the RG Kar visit, the DME inspected the old Emergency unit and held a series of meetings with the hospital administration. Even as the health officials are hopeful of the repair work taking five to six weeks, the hospital administration said that it could take at least three months.

"The vandalism caused a massive destruction of the Emergency wing. Even if work is carried out on a war-footing, it could take at least three months to complete the repair work," said a senior administrator.

Emergency medical officers and staffers said they were ready to work from the old unit even if the equipment were installed in phases. "At least we will have a bigger space and better facilities for patients, including a toilet. We can start with whatever equipment we are working with right now," said emergency medical officer Tapas Pramanick.

On Tuesday, the Medical Service Centre submitted a memorandum to the RG Kar officials demanding immediate shifting of the Emergency unit. "For more than two years, the unit has been working from the Trauma Care building, which is not ideal," said physician Biplab Chandra, of the Medical Service Centre. The Association of Health Service Doctors also wrote to the state chief secretary demanding accountability.