The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) will hand over a three-storied building to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) for the proposed model rural health research unit (MRHRU) on 15 May.

There have been allegations against the NBMCH authorities that the process of handing over the facility to the ICMR-NICED was delayed even after completion of the necessary formalities.

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The first-of-its-kind project in the state will help create infrastructure for transfer of technology to the rural level for improving the quality of health services to the rural population.

According to officials, following the handover, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) will undertake infrastructure development work.

NBMCH patient welfare committee chairman Gautam Deb held a meeting with clinical pharmacologist and the nodal officer of the MRHRU, ICMR-NICED, Dr Sandip Mukhopadhyay, consultant engineer of NICED Swapnil Biswas and NBMCH authorities today

“MRHRU will be an important development for health research oriented works in the region. There was a slight delay in handing over the building, since there was a record room of the NBMCH. We will hand over the building on 15 May. The CPWD will carry out the civil work. We are expecting it to be functional before Durga Puja. We will provide all necessary cooperation,” Mr Deb said.

Meanwhile, Dr Santanu Hazra of the department of microbiology, who was acting as the nodal officer of the unit for NBMCH, has been transferred to Swasthya Bhaban in Kolkata recently.

According to Mr Deb, he would hold discussions with the principal secretary of the health department to appoint someone as the nodal officer at the earliest.

Sources at the ICMR-NICED said the tripartite agreement between the department of health research (DHR) under the Union health and family welfare department and NICED, the state health department was signed in December last year. The state government has already given the no-objection certificate.

Dr Mukhopadhyay and Mr Biswas visited the proposed facility today.

“The reconstruction and remodelling of the building will be done by the CPWD as it has been used for other purposes,” the sources said.

At the initial stage, there will be eight posts in the MRHRU, including two scientists and technical staff.

Sources said the dedicated unit, once set up, will deal with common diseases in the region like acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), and alcoholic liver diseases, which are generally found in tea plantation areas, diarrhoeal and other localised diseases.

According to a microbiologist, AES, alcoholic liver diseases, diarrhoeal and other localised diseases had been common in the region.