CM Suvendu Adhikari says central hospital monitoring system will help get rid of ‘rioters’

“Sometimes there are reports of medical mismanagement by unqualified staff. To ensure that everyone can be identified, we are launching this system,” West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said. File | Photo credit: ANI

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari made a surprise visit to the Swastha Bhawan (headquarters of the Health Ministry) on Thursday (July 9, 2026) and said that state hospitals must be brought under the control of “touts”. He also reviewed the progress of the hospital’s monitoring and central control system.

Mr. Adhikari also promised several upgrades to health facilities across the state. He was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Dr. Sharadwat Mukherjee and other senior officials of the Ministry.

“We have live monitoring of the control room so that any ‘trafficker’ seen in any hospital premises cannot be seen the next day. One of the biggest objectives of this control room is to eliminate the brokers,” Mr Adhikari said. He added that the system will help identify vagrants who abuse the system and exploit people in hospitals.

The CM also added that he would start a color-coded badge system for all health workers based on the level of their duties. “Sometimes there are reports of medical mismanagement by unqualified staff. To ensure that everyone can be identified, we are launching this system,” the CM added.

He said they will work on better safety and security for healthcare workers. Mr. Adhikari said hospitals should be completely monitored, including outdoor areas, kitchens, parking lots, fair price shops and common areas, so that any adverse situations can be dealt with immediately.

Mr. Adhikari also said that state hospitals are not equipped to handle major emergency medical crises and that they have asked for an increase in the number of ICU beds for trauma care. “Provide a place for the patients’ families, they should not stay on the roads. Make sheds and bathrooms for them,” Mr Adhikari said. He also added that ICU beds are now 112 per hospital and they plan to increase it to at least 200 for each hospital.

The state health minister said that this pilot project will be slowly rolled out across the state in all state, district and divisional hospitals and all will be monitored from the health ministry headquarters. Officials said they hope to have the program nationwide by the end of July.

Meanwhile, in a related development, on Thursday (July 9, 2026), the family of a patient from Midnapore Medical College and Hospital alleged that the patient was given expired saline solution at the government hospital. Mr. Mukherjee said the government would investigate the matter.

Published – 10 Jul 2026 10:53 IST