Surgeries at Kolkata’s JB Roy State Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Shyambazar have remained suspended for seven months because the facility does not have a permanent anaesthesia specialist, disrupting treatment for patients who travel from across West Bengal and other states.
The hospital has an operating theatre and Ayurvedic surgeons, but procedures cannot be conducted without anaesthesia support. According to a report by Sangbad Pratidin, the facility had relied intermittently on temporary anaesthesia doctors. Some were transferred elsewhere while others retired, leaving the hospital without the specialist required to safely conduct surgery.
The shortage is not entirely new. The report said the hospital has allegedly lacked a permanent anaesthesia doctor for the past two to three years, during which surgeries continued irregularly. The procedures have now stopped completely, affecting patients who had been scheduled for operations and forcing some families to wait for revised dates.
JB Roy State Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital is the only government hospital in the state reported to provide Kshar Sutra treatment for conditions such as piles, fistula and anal fissure. The treatment is comparatively low-cost, and patients from distant parts of the state and from outside West Bengal visit the hospital for care. The suspension has therefore created difficulties for people who had travelled to Kolkata expecting treatment through the public health system.
The hospital also treats chronic fever, digestive problems, arthritis and metabolic conditions. Its services include paediatrics, gynaecology and obstetrics, Shalakya Tantra, which covers diseases of the ear, nose, throat and related systems, and Swasthavritta, a branch associated with preventive and lifestyle healthcare. The disruption to surgery has raised particular concern for patients who require procedures without extended delays.
The stoppage has also affected medical education. Students at the Ayurvedic medical college are unable to obtain regular hands-on surgical experience because the operation theatre is not functioning for procedures. Patients and students have questioned why an existing surgical department and operating facility cannot be used when an anaesthesia specialist is unavailable.
The issue highlights a basic administrative problem in public healthcare: infrastructure alone cannot deliver a service when a critical supporting post remains vacant. An operating theatre requires coordinated staffing, including anaesthesia, surgical and nursing personnel, as well as the systems needed for patient monitoring and post-operative care. In this case, the reported absence of an anaesthesia doctor has rendered the available surgical infrastructure unusable.
JB Roy hospital principal Supriya Chowdhury told Sangbad Pratidin that the process of resolving the problem had already begun. “We have already started the process of solving the problem. We are trying to resolve the permanent problem as soon as possible. I hope this problem will be solved soon,” Chowdhury said.
Patients and their families have called for the prompt appointment of an anaesthesia specialist or an alternative arrangement to restore surgery. The report did not specify a date for the resumption of procedures or detail the proposed staffing arrangement. Until the hospital confirms such a measure and provides an operational timeline, patients scheduled for surgery remain uncertain about when treatment will restart.