Health Wellness Fair to promote medical tourism in Kolkata

Kolkata, Aug 22 (UNI) A Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Fair would be organised here from August 25-27 for promotion of medical tourism in this part of the country.

''In West Bengal, the benefits of government-sponsored healthcare facilities are availed only by about 70 per cent of the population.

As for the rest, they go to the private clinics,'' State Minister of Water Resources Investigation and Development Nandagopal Bhattacharya said.

''People from the city and elsewhere in the state are increasingly visiting the southern parts of the country to get proper medical treatment and healthcare facilities. This trend is not very encouraging and does not help the state's poor,'' the minister, who is also the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of this fair, added.

He told reporters here yesterday that the objective of the fair was to make people aware about various healthcare issues like heart diseases, HIV/AIDS, and eye treatment by organising seminars and camps in the eastern section of the city, which is currently coming up as an IT and Medical hub.

Mr Bhattacharya said, ''With its geographical uniqueness, Kolkata could come up as an ideal medical tourist destination andgenerate huge revenue for the state''.

''Many people from the neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan - come to Kolkata for availing proper medical attention. We, therefore, are considering of developing the city into a medical hub of this country,'' said Mr Ajoy Kumar Das, Working Committee Chairman of the Fair.

''We are also considering to set up medical booths at the city's airport, Sealdah and Howrah railway stations to cater information about health facilities in the city,'' he said.

''Through this endeavour we want to pool in resources of both governmental and non-governmental agencies, to help provide good treatment facilities to the people of the state as well as those coming from outside, so that they do not go elsewhere,'' said Working Committee President Debashis Sengupta.

Mr Sengupta said the fair would definitely attract people as invitations have been dispatched to the NGOs, state owned organisations, business people and medical experts.

The event is being jointly organised by Media Focus and Cyber Media Solutions and sponsored by Prabashi Barta, an online daily, with support from Seva Utsav &Dakshin Kalikata Krira-o-Sanskriti Utsav. Indian Medical Promotion Unit will also be organising some healthcare seminars.

UNI