The journey of the ESI Institute of Pain Management (EIPM) began with the establishment of a specialised Pain Management Clinic at the ESI Hospital Sealdah in 2009. The ESI Institute of Pain Management was established at the ESI Hospital Sealdah premises, by the Department of Labour, Government of West Bengal on September 5, 2013 as a function of the “ESI Manpower Development Society” with the objectives of treatment, training and research vide GO No 639-SS/6A-6/12 dated 31^st July, 2012.

Since, its inception, the institute has grown in each of these areas. The institute is running with its objectives successfully without additional expenditure from the Department of Labour, Government of West Bengal (with the course fees from each post graduate student and research grant from the NJB, Department of Textiles, Govt of India against the expenses of the invited faculty members, University affiliation fees, and also research staff remuneration with other research works as agreed by the NJB):

This Pain Management clinic is running with repute and steadily increasing trend in attendance of the patients suffering from chronic painful conditions including cancer pain. Every year, in an average 8000 patients attend the outpatient department. The patients are managed with multidisciplinary team of experts; primarily with Pain Technicians, General Physician, Physiotherapist, Psychologist, Counsellor, Anaesthesiologist, Algiatrist (Interventional Pain Physician).

They are also evaluated by Orthopedician, Neurologist, Neurosurgeon, Oncologist, Psychiatrist, General Surgeon and Gynaecologists as and when necessary for effective management. Those patients who are unable to attend the outpatient department are managed at the “In – Patient – Department” (consisting of 20 total beds for male, female and with separate arrangements for cancer and other than cancer pain). This Hospital having a huge number of cancer patients in the In Patient Department; are being adequately taken care of their severe pain creating some standards of patient care with the praiseworthy work of this unit. This hospital can boast of minimizing the hospital stay for chronic low back pain patients in the hospital beds with effective control of their pain of the spine.

The Department of Medical Education in the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal considered for Essentiality Certificate for training the physicians with 10 seats at this Institute with one year residential postgraduate course Fellowship in Pain Management in the public interest with Memo No ME/MISC-46-13/M/1020 dated 16.07.2013.

The West Bengal University of Health Sciences affiliated this full time one year postgraduate course as a pioneering effort in this country vide memo no. OG/WBUHS/2013-2014/1061 dated 03.09.2013.

The West Bengal Medical Council affiliated this course with their notification no 2107-C/46-2009 dated 07.08.2014.

A multidisciplinary team of experts (Algology, Algiatry, Anaesthesiology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Community Medicine, Microbiology, Occupational Health, Statistics, Research Scientist, Rheumatology, Surgery, Hematology, Oncology, Palliative care, Radiology, Physiotherapy, Psychiatry, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurology, Biomechanics, ergonomics etc) attend the didactic classes as faculties.

The dedicated operation theatre is well equipped with Fluroscope, Radiofrequency Generator, Spine Nucleoplasty System, Ozone generator, Nerve Locator, Portable Ultrasonography equipment, Vertebroplasty and Baloon Kyphoplasty Systems, Nuroaxial Drug Delivery Systems, Spinal Cord Stimulator etc.

This Institute is also working on research activities also. At present, Government of West Bengal is working in association with National Jute Board, Government of India to find the status and causes of low back pain of the Jute Mill workers who are attending this clinic in large numbers. The objective of this study is to minimize the sufferings of these manual workers in this Industry, to prevent their sufferings, to minimize the cost of health and nourish the productive powers of the human resources. Scientists from reputed Institutions of our State are also extending their help voluntarily to develop this Institution with National standard in this field of research activities.