Howrah: In a significant step toward strengthening nursing education in Eastern India, Westbank School of Nursing (established in 2012) and Westbank College of Nursing (established in 2020) have been officially merged and renamed as College & School of Nursing – Narayana Hospital, a unit of the Asia Heart Foundation.
The unified institution is affiliated with the West Bengal Nursing Council, the Indian Nursing Council, and the West Bengal University of Health Sciences, ensuring adherence to national and state-level standards in nursing education.
Currently, the institution offers a wide range of programmes including GNM, B.Sc. Nursing, and several Post Basic Diplomas in specialised fields such as Oncology, Cardiothoracic, Paediatric, and Neurology Nursing. It also provides M.Sc. programmes in Medical Surgical Nursing with specialisations in Oncology and Critical Care, as well as Paediatric Nursing.
To further strengthen specialised nursing capacity, the institution is preparing to introduce two advanced practice programmes — Nurse Practitioner in Critical Care and Nurse Practitioner in Anaesthesia. These programmes are designed to enhance expertise in high-acuity and perioperative care, addressing the growing demand for specialised nursing professionals in modern healthcare systems.
The merger brings all nursing education initiatives under a unified academic and administrative structure. This integration is expected to streamline curriculum delivery, improve clinical exposure within the hospital ecosystem, and promote specialised skill development aligned with emerging healthcare needs.
Speaking on the development, Shampa Gupta, Principal of the College & School of Nursing – Narayana Hospital, said the merger will significantly strengthen both academic and clinical training frameworks.
“This merger strengthens our academic foundation and clinical training framework. With the introduction of advanced practice programmes, we aim to prepare highly skilled, compassionate nursing professionals equipped to meet the evolving demands of modern healthcare,” she said.
With this consolidation and expansion of academic programmes, the institution aims to further enhance the standards of nursing education in Eastern India and contribute to building a future-ready healthcare workforce capable of meeting the region’s evolving medical needs.
