The journey
 Sanjay PrasadExecutive Director & CEO Mercy Hospital |
Founded in 1977 by the late Rev Dr D Mark Buntain in 1977 as a small clinic, Mercy Hospital is now a 173-bed general tertiary care hospital serving approximately 100,000 patients per year. The hospital has a variety of services including a complete surgical facility, three critical care centers, a paediatric centre, an emergency centre, and general medical and surgical centers. Mercy Hospital offers facilities of round the clock emergency, trauma care supported by more than 100 consulting doctors in 30 specialities, a state-of-the-art pathological laboratory and all other diagnostic facilities, 24 hours pharmacy, critical care ambulances, intensive care units and level-II neo-natal care unit. We have 40 intensive care beds, backed by trained and experienced medical offers and nursing staff. The refurbished and upgraded ICCU unit is preferred and praised by city cardiologists and cardiologists from CMC Vellore. Today, the hospital comprises more than 90 eminent consultants on panel and experienced support strength of more than 500 employees and paramedical staff.
Mission
The mission is to improve the hospital to become the finest affordable medical facility in Kolkata. In line with our founder’s vision, we are committed to serving the marginalised and disadvantaged even beyond Calcutta. The Mercy Clinic Network is the arm of Mercy Hospital dedicated to providing free healthcare services to individuals at the districts of West Bengal where the network of 15 clinics are operating and the two clinics that are operating in Orissa.
Key strengths
Patient care is provided by a staff of highly qualified physicians and nurses. Their Mercy Hospital School of Nursing helps to maintain a better nurse-to-patient ratio. The nursing students graduating from our School of Nursing are among the best in the city and are well regarded by the medical fraternity.
Mercy Hospital on Park Street has opened its new centrally air conditioned diagnostic centre with patient-friendly doctors out patient chambers which is backed by a state-of-the-art pathology, blood bank and pharmacy. Appointments for doctors can be made over phone or through the web here. This 5000 sq feet totally air-conditioned outdoor facility offers top of the line medical consultancy at an affordable price with a goal to reduce patient waiting time.
90 consultants have been taken on board across all disciplines to serve the patients better. In this centre, they are also trying to set up of speciality clinics like chest clinic, diabetic clinic, infertility clinic etc.
The Department of Medicine observes the largest patient turnover for both indoor and outdoor patients. The hospital offers additional facilities like neurology, psychiatry, gastroenterology and endocrinology. The department of obstetrics and gynaecology prides in its ability to provide gynaecological cancer treatment, laparoscopic treatment, electronic foetal monitoring in labour with cardiotocographs, in addition to the services that are provided to an expectant mother and a new born baby. The hospital’s department of neonatology is the first national neonatology forum accredited level II – special care neonatal unit in West Bengal.
Mercy Hospital has set up completely new state-of-the-art operation theatre complex with four ORs and one dedicated OR for eye surgeries with all modern facilities.
Recently, the dental and eye unit at the hospital has been refurbished with modern medical equipments. Patients can get all sorts of treatment here. Imported eye power testing machines, non-contact tonometre (used for testing eye pressure) and automated field analyser to diagnose nerve damage by glaucoma have been installed. The latest dental chairs with modern X-Ray machines with RVG and intra-oral camera complete the dental department. The orthodontistry and maxillofacial surgery are also done here by reputed doctors. All these facilities are available at a reasonable cost and with extreme care.
Certifications/ Accreditations
The hospital has acquired ISO 9001: 2000 QMS, ISO 9001: 2008 QMS, ISO 14001: 2004 EMS & OHSAS 18001: 2007 certifications.
It is also in the process of getting NABH and NABL.
Acknowledging the hospital’s efforts and based on the continuous effort on improvement, West Bengal government has empanelled this hospital as a Class-I service provider.
Mercy Hospital is also the only private hospital in Kolkata which has got the affiliation from West Bengal Health University for the research work.
Cost vs Quality
The thrust on modernisation and upgradation is part of its commitment to set a new standard of providing best affordable medical services in the eastern region. While going through these advancements, the hospital continues to treat a fair percentage of patients free of cost, many of them being children who are in need of help.
The hospital wants the services to be the best in this region without going overboard with prices and remain affordable and relevant within the context that they operate in. Over 40,000 patients receive free treatment every year through their medical network.
Meeting safety standards
The hospital considers patient safety and security as the most important agenda.
To meet the safety hazards of the fast changing world, the hospital has implemented several non-medical safety and security measures in the last couple of years, like implementing fire check measures, deploying security personnel at vantage points, installing coded emergency system and adhering strictly to environmental policies.
On medical safety and security measures, the hospital is maintaining standard operating procedures, which are updated at regular intervals, secured rooms and medical furniture are always under preventive maintenance. Besides, regular clinical and physical audit is carried on and staff training both technical and soft skill is carried on. An infection control committee is always alert to keep a check on HAI. The hospital is also following an antibiotic policy.
Road ahead
Mercy Hospital is committed to creating a platform of healthcare delivery through 40 Mercy Clinics that will be set up over the next three years. These will function as small satellite facilities that deliver basic medical care at little or no cost to the patients where the medical officers and nursing staff provide basic care and health education at the clinics alongwith the consultants from Mercy Hospital who visit weekly to treat more severe illnesses. If a patient requires extensive treatment, they can arrange to visit the hospital in Calcutta. Mercy Hospital is working to implement a telemedicine system, which will enable the remote transmission of medical information and diagnosis, making travel less necessary.
