📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Joydeep
Health
West Bengal to Publicly Display ICU Bed Availability in Hospitals
✍️ Urban Acres
🗓 20 Oct 2026, 12:37 AM
👁 12
The West Bengal health authorities announced that real‑time ICU bed counts in state hospitals will be made publicly accessible to aid patients and families.
The health department of West Bengal has issued a directive that the number of vacant intensive care unit (ICU) beds in all government‑run hospitals will be displayed publicly. The initiative aims to improve transparency and help patients and their relatives locate available critical‑care beds more quickly.
To implement the plan, a dedicated online portal will be launched where up‑to‑date bed counts are posted, and digital display boards will be installed at hospital entrances. Hospital administrators are required to update the figures at regular intervals to ensure accuracy.
Officials said the measure is expected to reduce the time patients spend searching for ICU care, especially during periods of high demand such as seasonal disease outbreaks. The department will monitor the system’s performance and may expand it to private facilities in the future.
The announcement comes as part of broader efforts by the state to strengthen its health infrastructure and respond more effectively to emergencies.
To implement the plan, a dedicated online portal will be launched where up‑to‑date bed counts are posted, and digital display boards will be installed at hospital entrances. Hospital administrators are required to update the figures at regular intervals to ensure accuracy.
Officials said the measure is expected to reduce the time patients spend searching for ICU care, especially during periods of high demand such as seasonal disease outbreaks. The department will monitor the system’s performance and may expand it to private facilities in the future.
The announcement comes as part of broader efforts by the state to strengthen its health infrastructure and respond more effectively to emergencies.