Till recently, the hospital used to only serve Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) employees and their dependents. The 104-bed hospital, with about 41 in-house doctors and another 50 visiting doctors, will add another 64 beds to its infrastructure in the next six months.

At the inauguration of a 18-month Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery course, KoPT Chairman A K Chanda said: “With the reduction of employees over the past few years, the hospital was not finding enough patients. But we poured Rs 5 crore in the hospital to improve its infrastructure. Now, it can provide its services to the common people as well.”

According to KoPT officials, outdoor charges for outsiders will be Rs 60. While bed charges will be Rs 160, ICU charges will be Rs 1,000 per day. The charges are at par with Ramkrsishna Mission Sevashram, an official added.

The state government has identified about 26 students from villages who after undergoing training will be absorbed in the primary health care units. They will be provided a stipend of Rs 500 per month. The number of students receiving the training will be increased to 100 in a couple of years, a hospital official said.