Bengal doctors seek govt’s intervention to end ‘irregularities’ in Medical Council

The Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD), an association of senior doctors in West Bengal, has sought the intervention of the West Bengal government to end the continuing "irregularities" in the functioning of the West Bengal Medical Council.

The association's joint conveners Punyabrata Gun and Hiralal Konar have sent a communique to chief secretary Manoj Pant, seeking discussion on this issue. In the communique, the association expressed apprehension that in view of the "unethical" and "inhumane" transfer of release orders of doctors — which are in contravention to the provision of law as prescribed by the National Medical Council — suspicions are surfacing about the resurrection of the alleged "threat culture" in the state's healthcare sector.

The JPD has also questioned the state health department's "silence" on the disciplinary actions against doctors accused of "threat culture", although several high-powered inquiry committees have found the majority of allegations against such errant doctors to be valid.

According to JPD, the "silence" of the health department is leading to the "breach" of mutual trust, in contravention of the promise made by higher administration for early recovery of the same for the larger interest of the majority of stakeholders.

The communique from the senior doctors' body to the state secretary comes at a time when infighting within the Trinamool Congress has become blatant over the spat between the party's two leaders who are both doctor and sit on the state medical council.

Trinamool Congress legislator and the president of the state medical council Dr Shanta Roy on 21 November, Wednesday, sent a communique to the state health and family welfare secretary, Narayan Swarup Nigam, seeking immediate replacement of former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Dr Santanu Sen as the state government-nominated member of the Council.

A cold war between Dr Roy and Dr Sen, both medical practitioners in private life, broke out after the rape and murder of a female junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024. During this time, Sen has became vocal against a section of the state healthcare system.

Things worsened further given the central agency's probe into the financial irregularities at R.G. Kar, as part of which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted raid and search operations at the residence and hospital of Dr Roy in Kolkata, and also questioned him at the central agency office.