Parents wait in the courtyard of BC Roy Memorial Hospital for Children. A new building on an adjacent plot is expected to ease space constraints and improve facilities in the only referral paediatric clinic in the state. A Telegraph picture

BC Roy Memorial Hospital for Children is set for another expansion after wresting control over a plot of land in court.

The hospital, the only referral paediatric clinic in the state, is in the process of being upgraded to an institute. It has recently got possession of a plot larger than 15 cottah next to the existing building.

“A new building will come up on the plot. The plans are being finalised,” said M.K. Chatterjee, the medical superintendent of the hospital.

The state health department had paid about Rs 2 lakh to buy the plot from the Calcutta Improvement Trust. The local (ward 30) Trinamul Congress councillor, Swapan Samaddar, wanted to build a children’s park on the land.

The hospital authorities had filed a case at Sealdah court against the encroachment. The court ruled in favour of the hospital.

“The plot was lying vacant. To prevent promoters from grabbing it, I wanted to set up a children’s park there,” said Samaddar. “I respect the court’s verdict. If the land is going to be used for expanding the children’s hospital, then I have no objection.”

The hospital authorities said construction of the new building would start as soon as Swasthya Bhavan sanctioned the plan. The administrative block of the hospital, which is now in the old building, will be shifted there.

“The outpatients’ department will be expanded,” said Chatterjee. Between 300 and 400 patients visit the department daily. There’s not enough space to accommodate the patients and their kin.

Additional posts of medical officers have been sanctioned, so the patients will not have to wait as long, said officials.

An annexe of the hospital became operational recently. It houses the neo-natal and paediatric intensive care units. The 110 beds in the two units have increased the total number of beds in the hospital to 360.

“Even now, the free beds are, on an average, shared by two children,” said a hospital official. Between 13,000 and 16,000 patients are admitted to the hospital every year.

Management of the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) is another problem. There’s state-of-art equipment, including ventilators and blood gas analysers, but not enough staff. “It is difficult to manage the ICUs with the existing staff,” said an official.

To tackle the problem, the health department has sanctioned 12 posts of professors and medical officers and 38 nursing staff. Some of the vacancies have been filled, the rest will be filled soon.