Website to help doctors explain to patients in Bengali

A new website will help bridge the language barrier that often impedes doctors' efforts to explain diagnosis to patients in Bengali.

The site www.bangla.net.in will be a key tool for medical professionals from other states who are working in Bengal or are looking after Bengali-speaking patients in any part of the world to "know just enough Bangla to understand patients better".

"The website is a universal platform and it helps medical professionals serving Bengali patients all over the world... It is also helpful to those who are serving Bengali patients in hospitals of other states and aboard," said A.G. Ghoshal, medical director, National Allergy Asthma Bronchitis Institute (NAABI), at the launch Sunday.

The portal is an Asthma Awareness Trust (AAT) initiative in association with NAABI and the Indian Medical Association.

The user-friendly interface of the website enables health workers to register themselves and take three stages of the course.

"First is related to organs, i.e. what are these called in Bengali. Second stage covers all the symptoms and third makes a user familiar with expression of symptoms."

"A user has to clear all the three stages one by one. He or she gets the result through a SMS alert in his or her mobile automatically. We provide certificate for the course later," said Raja Dhar, research and education director, NAABI.

There are plans to expand the programme in other languages.