State mandates ICU availability verification before inter‑hospital referrals

A critical component of the new referral framework is the verification of ICU bed availability at the destination facility. Hospital ICU teams are now required to notify the deputy or assistant superintendent, who will then contact the Integrated Control Room at the Health Building in Kolkata. The control room will confirm that the receiving hospital has a vacant critical‑care bed before any patient is dispatched. This protocol is designed to prevent the scenario where patients are sent to hospitals lacking the necessary infrastructure, thereby avoiding delays in critical care delivery.