Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences

Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), also known as RN Tagore Hospital, is eastern India's premier cardiac sciences hospital, located in Mukundapur, Kolkata. Established in 2000 as part of the Narayana Health group — founded by the legendary cardiac surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty — RTIICS is now a 681-bed quaternary care multi-super-specialty hospital with JCI and NABH accreditation.

RTIICS is named in honour of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose cultural heritage is deeply woven into the identity of Kolkata and Bengal. The hospital carries forward this legacy of excellence by providing world-class cardiac and multi-specialty care at costs accessible to patients across all income groups — a core tenet of Narayana Health's founding philosophy.

The institute serves as the principal quaternary cardiac referral centre for West Bengal, the northeastern states of India, and neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. Its reputation for clinical excellence, affordability, and accessibility has made it a first-choice destination for complex cardiac cases from across the eastern subcontinent. Beyond cardiology, RTIICS has grown into a comprehensive multi-specialty quaternary hospital offering centres of excellence in cardiac sciences, renal transplantation, neurosciences, gastroenterology, liver transplantation, and oncology.

RTIICS delivers comprehensive cardiac care across interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, and cardiovascular surgery. The Interventional Cardiology department performs coronary angiography, angioplasty with drug-eluting stents, balloon valvuloplasty, transcatheter valve procedures, and device closure for structural heart defects. The electrophysiology laboratory conducts EP studies, 3D cardiac mapping, radiofrequency ablation for arrhythmias, and implantation of pacemakers, ICDs, and CRT devices.

Cardiovascular surgery includes CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting), valve repair and replacement (including minimally invasive approaches), aortic surgery, paediatric cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease, and heart transplantation. The hospital is a recognized centre of excellence in heart transplantation in eastern India.

Beyond cardiac sciences, RTIICS offers renal sciences and kidney transplantation, neurosciences (neurology and neurosurgery), medical and surgical gastroenterology, hepatobiliary sciences and liver transplantation, and medical, surgical, and radiation oncology. This multi-specialty quaternary capability allows complex patients with co-morbidities to receive coordinated care across departments within a single hospital.

RTIICS is equipped with 681 beds across its multi-specialty quaternary care facility in Mukundapur, Kolkata. The cardiac infrastructure includes five state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation laboratories providing round-the-clock services for emergency angioplasty and elective cardiac interventions. Sixteen fully equipped operation theatres support the high volume of cardiac, transplant, oncological, and general surgical procedures.

Advanced echocardiography suites with 3D echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography capabilities support both diagnosis and intraoperative monitoring. A dedicated cardiac ICU provides intensive post-operative and critical cardiac care. The 3D cardiac electrophysiology mapping system enables complex ablation procedures. The renal sciences department maintains a dialysis unit and a transplant infrastructure. Neurosciences are supported by neuroimaging and neuro-ICU facilities. The NABL-certified laboratory (accredited since 2006) provides comprehensive diagnostic services. Oncology infrastructure includes chemotherapy delivery, radiation planning, and surgical oncology capabilities.

RTIICS is the preferred cardiac destination for patients from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and other South Asian countries, primarily because of Kolkata's geographical proximity, direct air links, and the hospital's reputation for world-class cardiac care at substantially lower costs than Singapore, Thailand, or Western countries.

Patients from Bangladesh can reach Kolkata via direct flights from Dhaka to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in approximately one hour. Similarly, Kathmandu connects directly to Kolkata. The hospital's international patient team provides medical visa invitation letters, appointment coordination, airport pickup, accommodation guidance near the Mukundapur campus, and English and Bengali language support throughout the care journey. Narayana Health's model of making complex cardiac care affordable without sacrificing quality is the core value proposition for international patients. Cost of cardiac bypass surgery, valve replacement, or paediatric cardiac surgery at RTIICS is typically a fraction of equivalent procedures in Singapore, the UK, or the US.

RTIICS holds JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation, awarded in 2023, making it one of the few hospitals in eastern India to achieve this globally recognised quality benchmark. JCI accreditation is widely regarded as the international gold standard for hospital quality, requiring compliance with rigorous patient safety, clinical quality, and governance standards.

The hospital also holds NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) accreditation since 2011, affirming its adherence to India's national quality and patient safety framework. Additionally, RTIICS's laboratory has been NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) certified since 2006, ensuring internationally comparable diagnostic accuracy. These triple accreditations — JCI, NABH, and NABL — together represent the highest level of verified quality assurance available in Indian healthcare and provide international patients with strong confidence in the institution's clinical standards and safety protocols.