Teen and Adolescent Health with a Child Specialist Doctor at Kolkata

Teenagers bring different questions to a doctor: a voice that cracked early, painful periods, acne before board exams, or nights spent scrolling until 2 AM. If you searched for the "best child specialist doctor at Kolkata" for your 11 to 17 year old, look first for a paediatrician who listens to your teen as well as to you. At MCR Super Speciality Polyclinic & Pathology in Behala, you can book a teen consultation with a paediatrician, and the lab for any tests the doctor advises is in the same building.

Book now: call or WhatsApp 9830525004, or tap Book Now on our Paediatrics department page. Please mention that the visit is for a teenager.

Who you can see

• Doctor – About – Languages – Consultation fee

• Dr. Suhena Sengupta – 15 years of paediatric experience; care from newborns to adolescents – Bengali, Hindi, English – Rs 900

• Dr. Debangshi Ghosh – MBBS, MD; in clinic Thursday and Saturday, 11 AM / 6 PM (please confirm the session time when booking) – Please ask when booking – Rs 500

Other MCR paediatricians, including those who consult online, are listed on our Meet our paediatricians page. Searching for a pediatrician for teenagers? In India, your child's paediatrician usually keeps seeing them through the teen years.

A consultation your teen can speak up in

Many teenagers talk more openly when a parent steps out for a few minutes. You or your teen can ask for this at the start of the visit; the parent or guardian then comes back in to agree on the plan. Questions about bodies, periods, weight or mood are ordinary medical questions, and your teen can note them on their phone beforehand.

What we help with

• Puberty and growth: signs of puberty before 8 in girls or 9 in boys, or none by 13 in girls or 14 in boys; no periods by 15, or none within 3 years of breast development starting; height that seems stuck; sudden weight change.

• Periods: irregular, very painful or very heavy periods.

• Acne and skin: first steps, and when a skin specialist is needed.

• Sleep: late nights, screen habits, snoring, daytime tiredness.

• Stress and mood: exam pressure, worry, low mood, changes in eating, pulling away from friends, and help finding further support.

• Tiredness, headaches, tummy aches: if the doctor advises blood or urine tests, for example for anaemia, MCR's own pathology lab is in the same building.

• Adolescent vaccines: a check of the vaccination card for any missed childhood doses and the teen vaccines: the tetanus and diphtheria booster (Tdap, which also protects against whooping cough, or Td), and the HPV vaccine (recommended for girls, ideally at 9 to 14 years as 2 doses; it can still be given later as a catch-up, usually with 3 doses, and some HPV vaccines are also licensed for boys, so ask the doctor; ask too whether your daughter can get it free at a government health centre).

Go to a hospital emergency instead if your teen

• talks about wanting to die or to hurt themselves, or you find signs of self-harm (India's Tele-MANAS mental health helpline, 14416, can also help); do not leave them alone, and put medicines, sharp objects and other means of self-harm out of reach

• has swallowed extra tablets, alcohol or an unknown substance, even if they seem fine

• faints, or has chest pain or a racing heartbeat, especially during sport

• has a seizure, confusion, a sudden severe headache, or fever with a stiff neck

• is very drowsy, hard to wake, or has a fever with a rash that does not fade when pressed

• has swelling of the face, lips or tongue after a food, medicine or sting

• has a head injury followed by vomiting, drowsiness, confusion or a worsening headache

• is struggling to breathe

• has severe or worsening tummy pain, especially with vomiting, fever, pain moving to the lower right side, or (in girls) a missed period or fainting

• has sudden pain or swelling in a testicle (scrotum), even if he only complains of tummy pain; go straight away, because every hour counts

• keeps vomiting with tummy pain and deep, fast breathing, especially after weeks of extra thirst, passing a lot of urine or losing weight

• has very heavy bleeding with dizziness or fainting

Do not wait for a clinic appointment in these situations. If your teen has collapsed, is hard to wake, is having a seizure that does not stop or cannot breathe properly, call 112 for emergency help.

How to reach us

MCR Super Speciality Polyclinic & Pathology, 11A, Sourin Roy Road, near Behala Tram Depot, beside Ellora Cinema Hall, Behala, Kolkata 700034. Coming from Sarsuna, Thakurpukur, Joka, Parnasree, Barisha, Silpara, Taratala, New Alipore or Tollygunge, look for the tram depot and Ellora Cinema Hall.

Clinic hours: Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 8 PM. Sunday closed. Each doctor has their own timings, so please call to confirm before you come.

Questions parents ask

What should my teen bring to the visit? The vaccination card, earlier reports and prescriptions, the names of any medicines they take, and their own questions noted on their phone. Mention your child's age when you book.

Will the doctor talk to my teen alone? Only if you and your teen are comfortable with it. If anything raises a concern about your child's safety, the doctor will usually discuss it with you. In some situations the law requires the doctor to inform the authorities as well.

Acne or mood worries seem minor. Is a visit worth it? Yes, if they bother your teen or affect school, sleep or friendships. Small worries are easier to sort out early, and the doctor will say if a skin specialist or counsellor is needed. Tests are done only if the doctor advises them.

For more detail, read our guide to teenager and adolescent health and the child vaccination schedule for Indian parents. Ready to book? Call or WhatsApp 9830525004.