A surgeon working in the North-East has launched a £1.5m appeal to help millions of patients in his native land.

Robin Sengupta, a brain surgeon in Newcastle for the past 40 years, wants to build a neuro-surgery hospital in Calcutta, the Indian city he left in the early 1960s.

Mr Sengupta has already ploughed £250,000 of his own money into his charitable work in India.

"If we can build this place it will be wonderful. The people of the North-East are very generous and I am sure they will help me," he said.

Mr Sengupta has regularly flown to Calcutta to give something back to his people by treating needy patients.

Ten other Newcastle consultants, who work in the same neurosciences department, and six nurses have followed in his footsteps.

Now, the 64-year-old specialist wants to build his own hospital to improve care for millions of poor people.

The vast majority of people in what is one of India's most underdeveloped areas cannot afford to pay for what is often life-saving treatment.

Mr Sengupta, who has operated on about 20,000 patients during his career at Newcastle General Hospital, is horrified at the lack of facilities for ordinary people in Calcutta.

"The facilities for brain surgery are very poor and that hurts me very badly," said Mr Sengupta, who is due to retire on December 31.

"We have a tremendous group of young doctors working there, under very difficult circumstances. Now, we need to get the hospital built as soon as possible," he said.

Mr Sengupta said he had previously spent £150,000 of his money on helping patients in Calcutta.

Now, he has donated another £100,000 to the registered charity for the hospital, which stands at £250,000.

Donations can be made to Neurosciences Foundation Limited, care of Ken Grey, 17 Grindon Close, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear NE25 9EB.

* For the full story of Mr Sengupta's four decades in the region, see tomorrow's Health Page.