Historic Kolkata Palace Reborn as State-of-the-Art Hospital
A magnificent 200-year-old architectural gem on Rabindra Sarani in Kolkata has been given a new lease on life, officially opening its doors as the Charnock Lohia Hospital on Thursday. This grand structure, once a palace residence for Bengali aristocratic families before Independence, has been meticulously restored and transformed into a 250-bed multispecialty healthcare facility. The inauguration marks a significant milestone in blending Kolkata's rich heritage with modern medical advancements.
Preserving History While Advancing Healthcare
The building at 296/B Rabindra Sarani, a Grade-I heritage property, had previously served as a maternity home before lying defunct for several years. Charnock Hospital undertook an extensive restoration and renovation project, investing Rs 250 crore to convert this architectural splendour into a NABH-compliant, state-of-the-art 'Heritage Super Speciality Hospital'. The facility now boasts 80 ICU beds, modular operation theatres, a catheterization lab, and advanced imaging capabilities.
"With a clear focus on high-end tertiary care treatments, this hospital will serve the entire population of north Kolkata and adjoining areas. We hope to serve 10,000 inpatients a year," stated Charnock Managing Director Prashant Sharma. The hospital will offer specialized departments including neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, urology, nephrology, and critical care.
Major Expansion Across Kolkata's Private Healthcare Sector
The inauguration of Charnock Lohia Hospital represents just one component of a substantial expansion wave sweeping through Kolkata's private healthcare landscape. Approximately 1,300 new beds are scheduled to be added across multiple private hospitals by 2026, significantly enhancing the city's medical infrastructure and treatment capacity.
Several prominent healthcare institutions are preparing to augment their services:
- Woodlands Multispecialty Hospital will introduce a 200-bed multispecialty unit on its existing premises, planning partial operations by 2026. This expansion will include a dedicated cancer facility with advanced radiotherapy, a transplant unit featuring liver transplantation capabilities, enhanced neurology and cardiology departments, and increased outpatient clinical areas. "This will take our capacity to 365 beds by the end of 2026," explained Woodlands CEO Rupak Barua.
- Disha Hospitals will inaugurate a 250-bed multispecialty hospital in New Town by mid-2026, with plans to eventually expand to 650 beds. Chairman Debasish Bhattacharya emphasized, "There will be emphasis on oncology. We will offer treatment at a reasonable cost and accept Swasthya Sathi cards."
- Ruby General Hospital will add 77 new critical-care beds and 65 additional oncology beds by February.
- BP Poddar Hospital is establishing a dedicated 150-bed unit for holistic oncology services with 24x7 laboratory sciences, along with a newly enhanced 35-bed Mother & Child Care Unit and a planned 25-bed dialysis unit.
- Indian Institute of Liver and Digestive Sciences will open a pediatric gastroenterology department starting March 1. Hepatologist Abhijit Chowdhury, chief mentor to Liver Foundation West Bengal, noted, "The burden of gastrointestinal diseases in children is huge, while there is a dearth of super speciality facilities. We will have both OPD and in-patient facilities."
- Belle Vue Hospital will launch a 160-bed hospital in New Town in 2026, according to CEO P Tondon.
- Ambuja Neotia has announced plans for a 262-bed multispecialty hospital to be inaugurated in 2029.
Inauguration Ceremony and Future Impact
The Charnock Lohia Hospital was formally inaugurated by Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, Women and Child Welfare Minister Shashi Panja, and Health and Family Welfare Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, along with numerous other dignitaries. This historic transformation not only preserves an important piece of Kolkata's architectural heritage but also addresses growing healthcare needs in the region.
The coordinated expansion across multiple private hospitals represents a significant investment in Kolkata's healthcare infrastructure, promising enhanced medical access, specialized treatments, and improved patient care for residents across the city and surrounding areas in the coming years.
