Apollo group has decided to set up second hospital and its first medical college in Kolkata.

The new hospital and the medical college will be set up on a 23-acre plot at Kamarhati in North 24-Parganas.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee made this announcement on Saturday while kicking off the daycare centre and nursing college at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals in Kolkata.

“We have identified a plot at Kamarhati to set up a new hospital and medical college to be run by the Apollo group,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

An Apollo source said that the new hospital would have 580 beds. It would be constructed in phases next to Sagar Dutta Hospital in Kamarhati.

The source also said that the construction work should begin in September 2008.

Conceding that the state’s healthcare structure was dropping back, Mr. Bhattacharjee stated that the state government was promoting private forays into the segment.

The CM said, “The quality of our healthcare system is still not up to the mark. We have to revamp it and look after the poorest of society. We want monetary assistance from the Asian Development Bank and have taken a grant from the DFID for developing the rural healthcare system.”

A host of private hospitals will be coming up in the state.

“Ratan Tata’s cancer research centre and hospital at Rajarhat will be completed within weeks. An organ transplant hospital is also coming up at Rajarhat. Dr Badrinath is setting up an eye hospital in Jadavpur. NRI doctors are also coming forward to set up hospitals. An NRI doctor from the UK is setting up a neurology centre at Moulali, and another NRI doctor is turning the Jadavpur TB hospital into a private medical college and hospital. The Hinduja group recently sent a delegation here, expressing interest in setting up a hospital. The Mayo hospital is also going through a major revamp,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

The chief minister also indicated to a serious shortage of qualified nurses in Bengal.

“We want at least 2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) to be spent on developing the country's healthcare system,” he said.

Mr. Prathap Reddy, Apollo hospitals group executive chairman said that the group is committed to offering up matchless quality together with cost benefits.

“We are planning the concept of Apollo research hospitals, which would take super-speciality units to the districts. We want to develop human resources for healthcare. A system is needed where we would have the medical histories of all patients in the districts,” Mr. Reddy said.

The daycare centre would perform a wide range of surgeries. The 50-seat nursing college will offer Honours course in nursing sciences too.