Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass, has started Sunday outpatient consultations across 10 specialties, giving working professionals, elderly patients and caregivers in Kolkata and nearby areas an alternative to weekday appointments. The Sunday OPDs will operate from 10am to 1pm every week, hospital officials said.
The consultations cover cardiology, cardiac surgery, orthopaedics, neurology, pulmonology, internal medicine, nephrology, gastroenterology, paediatrics and ENT. The initiative responds to requests from patients and relatives who find it difficult to attend appointments during standard working hours, doctors at the hospital said.
For urban households, a medical consultation often involves more than the patient’s availability. Elderly people with chronic conditions may require a family member to accompany them, while working patients may have to take a full or half-day off to attend a weekday appointment. The hospital said Sunday scheduling could allow patients and relatives to travel together without disrupting work routines.
Upal Sengupta, senior consultant nephrologist at Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass, said he regularly received requests from patients’ relatives for Sunday consultations. Many of his patients with chronic kidney disease are elderly and depend on family members for hospital visits, he said.
Patients travelling from outside Kolkata also cited the weekend timing as a practical benefit. Nargis Pramanik, 47, travelled from Bauria in Howrah with her husband for an orthopaedic consultation. She said Sunday appointments were easier because neither she nor her husband had to adjust work schedules. Pramanik works with the Juvenile Justice Board from Monday to Saturday.
Debraj Jash, head of pulmonology for Manipal Hospitals’ EM Bypass and Salt Lake cluster, said evening and Sunday OPDs were intended to support both patients and their families. In the absence of outpatient consultations on Sundays, some patients may approach emergency departments instead, he said, adding that this can create apprehension about possible admission.
Ayanabh Debgupta, regional director of Manipal Hospitals East, said healthcare often competes with work and family responsibilities. For elderly patients, a consultation may require a caregiver to take time off, while working professionals may struggle to prioritise medical care during the week. He said the Sunday Clinic was intended to make consultations more accessible at a time when families were more likely to be available together.
The hospital also said Sunday appointments could make travel easier for patients coming from outside Kolkata. It plans to strengthen the initiative across its hospitals, according to Debgupta.
Manipal is not the only hospital group testing weekend access. Peerless Hospital already offers Sunday OPDs and sees around 100 patients on Sundays, compared with an average of about 1,000 patients on weekdays, chief executive Sudipta Mitra said. Narayana Health is planning to start Sunday OPDs, with its group chief operating officer R. Venkatesh identifying paediatrics, family medicine and general medicine as areas where the service could help working parents.
The Sunday consultations at Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass, are currently scheduled from 10am to 1pm every Sunday across the listed specialties.
