Centralized referral system activated in 5 medical colleges in Kolkata

The West Bengal government has connected five medical colleges in Kolkata with a centralized referral system and has launched a digital bed vacancy monitoring system in one of these facilities, a state health department official said.

These mechanisms are some of the demands of junior doctors who agitated after a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was raped and murdered on August 9.

The centralized referral system will allow hospitals in districts to request a bed from medical facilities in the city before referring a patient.

On the other hand, thanks to the bed occupancy monitor to be installed at NRS Medical Faculty and Hospital, people will be able to see the number of beds in different departments and the number of available beds for patients.

“Today, the central referral system has been put into operation in five medical faculties in the city. It will take a few more days to fully implement the entire process, a health ministry official told PTI.

The five healthcare facilities are Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, SSKM Hospital, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, NRS Medical College and Hospital and National Medical College.

The same will soon be phased in across the state, the official said on Friday.

Talking about the system, the official said that hospitals affiliated with urban medical institutions in rural Bengal will create a bed demand through a portal for a patient who needs better medical facilities.

“Once the request is made, these hospitals in Kolkata will update the information about bed availability. After getting the green signal from an urban hospital, the rural hospital will start the process of transferring the patient,” he said.

In addition, a central referral system was activated in two district hospitals.

“You will see updated figures on the display board which helps people with bed occupancy information in each department,” the official said about the digital bed vacancy monitor at NRS Medical College and Hospital.