Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday inaugurated a 131-bed paid treatment facility at SSKM Hospital that promises better access to healthcare services at costs significantly lower than private hospitals, though the facility will be open to all patients.

The new facility, named Ananya and also referred to as Woodburn 2, is a 10-storey building featuring single cabins, single suites, a high dependency unit (HDU), and an intensive therapy unit (ITU).

Pricing & services

Mamata announced competitive pricing for the facility’s services:

• Single cabins: ₹5,000 per day
• Single suites: ₹8,000 per day
• HDU charges: ₹12,000 per day
• ITU charges: ₹15,000 per day
• OPD services: ₹350 per visit

“This Woodburn new building will pose stiff competition for private hospitals,” Mamata said, noting that she had reduced the originally proposed charges by ₹2,000 for each category. “Start with this. We will review the charges after six months.”

The facility will begin admitting patients to some single cabins within days and launch OPD services soon. Notably, there will be no gatekeeping restrictions — patients currently under treatment at other hospitals can also seek admission to the new facility.

The initiative addresses a pressing need in Bengal, where per capita out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure stood at ₹4,010 in 2021-22 — the second-highest in India after Kerala (₹7,889). Health officials identify limited access to government healthcare as a significant factor contributing to these rising expenses.

However, public health experts remain cautious about the facility’s potential impact. “The systems will have to be managed better if the paid facility is to succeed,” one expert told Metro, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There needs to be more accountability, and people should be able to access treatment.”

These concerns highlight that building infrastructure alone may not solve underlying accessibility issues without improvements to healthcare delivery systems.

Mamata also announced significant investments in cancer treatment infrastructure. SSKM will procure specialised equipment, including two LINAC machines, a CT simulator machine, and a Brachytherapy machine, for a new cancer care centre expected to be operational by end-2025.

Once fully functional, the centre will provide 200 beds dedicated to cancer treatment. “We are setting up cancer care centres in two hospitals in our state with support from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai,” Mamata said. “The centre at SSKM Hospital is coming up fast. The other centre will come up at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.”

The chief minister also inaugurated a connecting gangway between the new OPD building and SSKM’s main block, citing safety concerns for female doctors working night shifts. She has requested similar connectivity infrastructure at all hospitals, particularly medical colleges.

Additionally, Mamata directed SSKM authorities to establish a bone bank at the hospital.

While acknowledging that “some costs will be recovered, though there will remain some deficit,” the chief minister positioned this hybrid model as a potential solution to Bengal’s healthcare accessibility challenges — though its success will ultimately depend on effective implementation and management.