The out-patient department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Basantapur in Nadia’s Kalyani was inaugurated on Wednesday with large number of people, including many from neighbouring districts, turning up but most of them returning without treatment as they did not have prior appointment.

Bengal’s first and the nation’s 15th AIIMS commenced “limited OPD services” with executive director of the institute in Kalyani, Ramji Singh, launching the facility on Wednesday morning.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Singh said: “At present, there will be no emergency, laboratory, diagnostic, medicine and in-patient service for patients since the limited outpatient care services have been launched to help our MBBS students get exposure in clinical education.”

For the time being, only 100 patients will get treatment through prior appointment from Monday to Friday between 9am and 1pm. However, only 15 patients could eventually get treated on Wednesday for lack of clear information about the services available at the facility at the moment.

Saswati Guha, 51, a resident of Chinsurah, who had to return as she did not have prior appointment, said: “I read in newspapers about the inauguration of AIIMS OPD. But I had no knowledge that treatment would be provided only to those who have prior appointment. It would have been better if AIIMS had issued a detailed advertisement in public interest.”

The OPD building Pictures by Ranjit Sarkar

Rajesh Yadav, 43, of Barrackpore, who has been suffering from eye-related problems, also returned home for the lack of prior appointment.

“I could get treatment at the OPD since I had no prior appointment,” he said.

A good number of patients from Nadia, North 24-Parganas, Hooghly and East Burdwan turned up for treatment but returned home without getting to enter the OPD.

Sharmila Ganguly, 56, a resident of Serampore, was among the lucky few to get the treatment at the OPD because she came with a prior appointment. She paid Rs 10 to seek the advice of expert doctors.

“It was a great experience for me. I hope that the AIIMS Kalyani will change the health-care scenario of the state, particularly in south Bengal,” she said.

Utpal Pramanik, 43, a private security guard at AIIMS and resident of Krishnagar, was the first patient at the OPD. “Since I joined my duty at AIIMS in Kalyani I have been eagerly waiting for this day. I have problems of indigestion and am happy to get the advice of doctors in the general medicine wing of the OPD,” he said.

A spokesperson for the AIIMS, Kalyani, told The Telegraph: “At present, we are taking appointments over telephone. Anybody can call 033-29516005 between 10am and 4am for the next day’s appointment at the OPD. There is no provision for instant appointment. However, patients will be able to make online appointments very soon.”

“We will also soon launch a mobile application for prior appointment,” he said and added there would be no service on Saturday, Sunday and on the central government holidays.

At present, limited OPD service will be offered only in the departments of general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, dermatology, ophthalmology, ENT and psychiatry.

“We are hopeful to offer complete OPD service by April or May,” Singh said and added efforts were on to launch in-patient service by September.