Mission Hospital opens ‘virtual OPD’ in Gangtok

Source:Sikkim Now

GANGTOK, 24 April: The Mission Hospital of Durgapur, West Bengal, opened a Telemedicine and Information Centre here at the Somani Building, MG Marg today. The centre was inaugurated by Dr K Bhandari, Director General, Health Services.
Speaking to media persons, Dr Bhandari informed that Mission Hospital was one of the 14 hospitals across the country empanelled with the Government of Sikkim.

“We have empanelled the hospital to provide cashless treatment to patients referred from Sikkim, a facility which is not provided by any other state in the country,” Dr. Bhandari informed. A patient, after being referred from Sikkim, needs only a letter from the Health Department to receive treatment at these hospitals after which the government pays the bills, he explained.
“All this has been possible due to the vision of the Chief Minister. A person can now get good treatment at a lesser cost,” he said and added that this facility was available for both, below poverty line and above poverty line people of Sikkim.
Meanwhile, Dr Satyajit Bose [Chairman, Mission Hospital] informed that this was the first stepping-stone in the realization of their commitment to bring “quaternary care” to the doorsteps of every individual in this region.
“We have plans to set-up a Tertiary care hospital in Siliguri, which will also offer services in all major super-specialities including cardiac, kidney transplant, neurosurgery, joint replacement, etc.,” he added.
“We have operated on a few patients from Sikkim [2 kids through Rotary] in our hospital, who experienced the high standard of our hospital which is at par with the best hospitals in India,” he said and added that the hospital is empanelled with the Government of Sikkim to provide tertiary level care to the Sikkimese.
The centre at Gangtok will serve as a ‘virtual OPD’ wherein super speciality consultation will be available through video conferencing on prior appointment. Consultants from the hospital will visit this clinic on specified days of the months, it was informed. The centre will also provide services like sample collection for routine and special laboratory investigations and will further provide all information about the services available at the Mission Hospital, package details and assist in patient’s transit to the Mission Hospital.