Park Clinic celebrated its 93rd foundation day on Sunday.
The hospital started in 1932 as Park Nursing Home, and has been functioning since, said Sudip Chatterjee, secretary of the institution.
On Sunday, the celebrations at the Minto Park hospital were kicked off by Subir Chatterjee, the 99-year-old president of the institution. He is regarded as the doyen of paediatric surgery in India.
Sudip Chatterjee talked of the humble beginnings of the institution in 1932. The admission register of the 1930s shows the hugely cosmopolitan nature of the patients who came from all corners of the globe, he said.
He stressed the need for the public sector expenditure on healthcare. “If the government treats one thousand patients with high blood pressure, the cost-savings to the nation is much more than in a situation where they are treated in a private hospital,” he said.
Sudip Chatterjee also compared the health expenditure of different countries in Saarc. “The average expenditure on health is approximately two per cent of their GDPs. The Maldives is the only exception. Advanced countries spend approximately 10 per cent of their GDP on health. India’s health expenditure has risen over the years. But unfortunately, it is still less than two per cent of the GDP,” he said.
Neurosciences and paediatrics are the two main verticals of the hospital, which has 140 beds. Park Clinic will soon join hands with a diagnostic chain. We are going to offer many more verticals like orthopaedics and plastic surgery. There is a plan to have a full cardiology set-up.
Mamata Shankar, veteran actor-dancer, was the chief guest. She recounted her initial experiences of the hospital.
“God is truly served through passion and devotion to one’s work,” she said.