Eastern Railway launches telemedicine at Sonarpur, links 5 health units to B R Singh Hospital
Synopsis
Eastern Railway has connected five health units across its Sealdah Division to specialist doctors at B R Singh Hospital via telemedicine — no travel required. The Sonarpur launch signals a broader push to bring specialist care to railway employees and retirees where they live, with minor surgeries via teleconferencing potentially next.
Key Takeaways
Eastern Railway inaugurated a telemedicine unit at Sonarpur Health Unit , South 24-Parganas, on 17 September 2026 .
Telemedicine now covers five health units : Naihati, Gholsapur, Ranaghat, Barasat, and Berhampore , plus Sonarpur.
Patients get direct teleconsultation with specialists at B R Singh Hospital, Sealdah , without travelling to Kolkata.
The initiative serves serving and retired Eastern Railway employees and their dependents.
Officials have not ruled out minor surgeries via teleconferencing at health units in the future.
A multi-specialty health camp covering eye, dental, and gynaecology was held at Sonarpur on inauguration day.
Eastern Railway (ER) has launched telemedicine facilities at its health units across the Sealdah Division, giving employees, retirees, and their dependents direct teleconsultation access to specialist doctors at the premier B R Singh Hospital in Sealdah, Kolkata. The latest unit was inaugurated on Thursday, 17 September 2026, at the Sonarpur Health Unit in South 24-Parganas.
Key Inauguration Details
The Sonarpur facility was launched in the presence of Nataraj Basappa, Principal Chief Medical Director, Eastern Railway; Rajeev Saxena, Divisional Railway Manager, Sealdah; Debasis Guha, Medical Director; and Kalpana Mandal, Chief Medical Superintendent, B R Singh Hospital. A multi-specialty health check-up camp was also held at the Sonarpur unit on the occasion, covering departments including eye care, dental, and gynaecology.
Expanded Coverage Across Five Health Units
With the Sonarpur addition, telemedicine services now cover five health units in the Sealdah Division — Naihati, Gholsapur, Ranaghat, Barasat, and Berhampore — in addition to the newly inaugurated Sonarpur unit. Patients at each of these locations can now directly interact with specialist physicians at B R Singh Hospital through teleconsultation, discuss health concerns, and receive expert medical advice without undertaking a difficult journey to Sealdah.
Why This Initiative Matters
The initiative specifically targets beneficiaries who face geographical or logistical barriers to reaching the Sealdah hospital for specialised treatment. According to officials, the expansion is designed to make specialist healthcare 'more convenient, accessible and patient-friendly.' Notably, this rollout will also reduce footfall at the Sealdah hospital's Out-Patient Department (OPD), easing administrative pressure on what is one of the busiest railway hospitals in eastern India.
Officials have also indicated that the scope of the telemedicine programme could be extended in the future to include minor surgeries — those not requiring hospitalisation — conducted at health units through teleconferencing, potentially eliminating the need for patients to travel even for certain procedural interventions.
Broader Context and What Comes Next
The move aligns with a wider push by Indian Railways to modernise healthcare delivery for its large workforce and dependents, leveraging digital infrastructure to bridge the urban-rural divide in medical access. Divisional Railway Manager Rajeev Saxena described the expansion as part of Sealdah Division's continued effort to bring quality healthcare closer to its employees and beneficiaries. All beneficiaries at the Sonarpur camp also underwent comprehensive medical screening on the day of inauguration. Further expansion of the telemedicine network to additional health units in the division has not been ruled out, according to officials.
Point of View
A significant barrier for elderly retirees and their dependents. The five-unit network is a meaningful start, but the true measure of success will be utilisation rates and whether teleconsultation translates into timely treatment outcomes, not just access on paper. The hint at future teleconferencing-assisted minor surgeries is the more ambitious — and harder to execute — part of the vision. Scaling that would require investment in equipment at peripheral units, trained staff, and a robust liability framework that Indian telemedicine regulation is still catching up to.
NationPress
17 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Eastern Railway telemedicine facility?
It is a teleconsultation service that connects patients at Eastern Railway health units in the Sealdah Division to specialist doctors at B R Singh Hospital in Sealdah, Kolkata. Patients can discuss health concerns and receive expert advice without travelling to the hospital.
Which health units are now covered under Eastern Railway's telemedicine network?
As of 17 September 2026, telemedicine services are available at six locations: Sonarpur, Naihati, Gholsapur, Ranaghat, Barasat, and Berhampore, all within the Sealdah Division.
Who can use Eastern Railway's telemedicine services?
The facility is available to Eastern Railway's serving and retired employees and their dependents. It is designed especially for those who find it difficult or inconvenient to travel to B R Singh Hospital for specialised treatment.
Will Eastern Railway telemedicine be used for surgeries in the future?
Officials have indicated that minor surgeries not requiring hospitalisation could potentially be performed at health units via teleconferencing in the future, though no formal timeline has been announced.
How does the telemedicine expansion help B R Singh Hospital?
By enabling specialist consultations at peripheral health units, the programme is expected to reduce patient footfall at the B R Singh Hospital OPD, easing administrative and operational pressure on the Sealdah facility.
