RG Kar case opens Pandora’s box, complaints pour in from Bengal’s key medical colleges

The accusations travel an probe into alleged irregularities against erstwhile main of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, who was arrested aboriginal September.

Apart from RG Kar, the colleges wherever allegations person been raised see North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, Burdwan Medical College and Hospital (BMCH), Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital, College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, Kalyani, Nadia and MJN Medical College & Hospital, Cooch Behar.

Significantly, a delegation of inferior doctors who met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant connected September 16 besides highlighted these alleged malpractices.

The complaints person prompted some the authorities authorities and idiosyncratic aesculapian colleges to signifier their ain enquiry panels. Action ordered by the institutions includes:

* At the North Bengal Medical College, 5 pupil doctors were suspended for six months and forbidden from entering the assemblage field oregon hostels connected September 12, papers showed. This determination came aft inferior doctors protested and gheraoed the assemblage connected September 2.

* A probe sheet looking into akin allegations astatine RG Kar submitted its study connected October 1. According to sources, the study recovered 40 of the 51 doctors, who were issued notices connected September 10, blameworthy of “intimidation”.

* At the College of Medicine and JNM Hospital successful Kalyani, arsenic galore arsenic 40 pupil doctors person been suspended for six months and told that they tin participate the field lone for exams.

* An enquiry committee was besides acceptable up astatine the MJN Medical College & Hospital and Midnapore Medical College and Hospital pursuing akin allegations. When contacted, MJN Medical College & Hospital main Nirmal Kumar Mondal said determination were allegations against 15 radical “for intimidating mean students successful assorted ways”. “Action volition beryllium taken truthful that this incidental ne'er happens again successful the aesculapian college,” helium said.

On its part, the authorities authorities claims it has taken measures to halt the “threat culture” astatine aesculapian colleges. On October 1, the authorities authorities formed a five-member enquiry committee headed by Sudeshna Gupta, elder peculiar caput of the wellness department, to look into the allegations. It besides acceptable up a grievance redressal compartment to code the problems of healthcare professionals successful the state.

In addition, the authorities wellness section removed Tapash Ghosh arsenic dean of students’ payment astatine BMCH and transferred Nupur Ghosh of the Obstetrics Department implicit allegations of irregularities and intimidation. Calls and substance messages to the 2 doctors went unanswered.

According to Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya, the Director of Medical Education has been instructed to bid strict enactment against doctors progressive successful specified practices. “However, we person besides said that earlier taking steps, the allegations should beryllium decently investigated. Innocent should not beryllium punished,” she said.

But doctors importune the rot runs deep. According to a inferior doc astatine BMCH, immoderate doctors affiliated to the TMC’s younker helping would unit students to enactment successful taste and non-cultural programmes, threatening them with mediocre marks and supplementary exams if they refused.

Another inferior doc successful the aforesaid infirmary claimed that immoderate students were likewise forced to service drinks astatine parties held astatine the college. Both these allegations besides find a notation successful the ailment filed with the institution.

The Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), however, called it an effort to malign “not lone the authorities authorities but besides Trinamool Congress and its pupil wing”. “A conception of inferior doctors are politically motivated and are lodging complaints against different section, immoderate of whom whitethorn beryllium our followers oregon leaders. They are doing this successful respective aesculapian colleges. In each assemblage they are lodging complaints against 40-50 aesculapian students oregon doctors. All are not alike, and possibly a minuscule fig person engaged successful unwanted activities. But however tin 50 students oregon doctors successful 1 aesculapian assemblage beryllium blamed? We privation an enquiry committee to travel up with the truth,” Trinankur Bhattacharya, signifier president of TMCP, told The Indian Express.

At SSKM Medical College & Hospital, a elder doc flagged issues with the “new points strategy for enactment of location staff”.

“Those who were adjacent to the TMC would get 15 retired of 15 successful these interviews portion others got 2-3 points. To springiness definite campaigner location staff-ships, peculiar vacancies were created successful immoderate aesculapian colleges successful the past two-three years,” this doc claimed.