Siliguri, Aug. 24: After repeated announcements earlier that the telecobalt therapy unit at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital would restart “soon”, urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya today said it would become functional by October.

The minister, who is the chairman of the hospital’s patient welfare committee, said till the unit became functional, patients requiring radiotherapy could be treated at the North Bengal Oncology Centre, a private initiative, at Ranidanga near here at subsidised rates.

The NBMCH radiotherapy centre has been defunct for almost four years, hampering the treatment of cancer patients who have to go to Calcutta for it.

According to senior district health officials, about 20 patients require the treatment every month.

“The unit did not have a radiophysicist for a long time. One has finally been appointed and he has taken up the post a little over a month ago. We now need the necessary clearances from the Atomic Energy Commission and the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre for obtaining a new cobalt source required for the radiation therapy,” said Subir Bhowmik, the district’s chief medical officer of health (CMOH).

At a Swastha Bhavan meeting held in Calcutta a few days ago and attended by the health minister, the department’s principal secretary, the CMOH and other officials, it was decided that Rs 4 crore would be allocated for renovation and expansion work at the referral hospital.

“The indoor departments of cardiology, nephrology and neurology departments will be augmented so that they can start functioning,” the minister said. The gynaecology department will be expanded and the hostels, Group D staff quarters and the morgue will be renovated, he added.

A new block hospital will be set up at Matigara. At present, the people of the area go to the block hospital in Naxalbari. Besides, all blocks that have only one primary health centre will have another one with 50 beds. These blocks are Khoribari, Phansidewa and Naxalbari, the minister said.

At the meeting, health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra had enquired about the health care delivery systems in the three hill subdivisions, especially in the light of the recent developments there following the Gorkhaland movement. He was told by the officials that all the schemes were being implemented without much problem.

The meeting also discussed the need to create a separate CMOH office for the plains, bifurcating the one already existing in Darjeeling. “There will be a separate CMOH for the hills and one for the Siliguri subdivision,” the minister said.

He said this was to improve healthcare delivery and administration work. A proposal for such a bifurcation was made in November but no progress had been made.