Panel receives complaints of 'threat culture' from medical colleges in Bengal

The West Bengal health department has received numerous complaints regarding the prevailing “threat culture and irregularities in the examination system” in various government hospitals and medical colleges following the RG Kar hospital incident, a senior official said on Thursday.

All complaints were forwarded to the State-Level Grievance Redressal Committee, which was formed by the state government on Tuesday evening after agitation by junior doctors who are currently on a “total cease work.” “For the last few days, we have received many complaints regarding an alleged threat culture, a culture of intimidation, and anomalies in the examination system in medical colleges. We don’t have the exact compiled figures, but we have forwarded all the complaints to the State-Level Grievance Redressal Committee,” the health department official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Another official said that out of the 25 state-run medical colleges and hospitals, complaints have come from six.

“The complaints have been pouring in since late last month after the junior doctors partially resumed duties. Some complaints were directly sent to the state health secretary and some to the state health department headquarters. Several others were also to the Director of Health Services,” the official said.

“We have addressed some complaints, and required action was taken. We have now compiled a list of all complaints and sent it to the redressal committee,” he said.

According to officials, 40 medics were suspended for six months and allowed on campus only for exams, at the College of Medicine and JNM Hospital in Nadia district following allegations of threatening fellow students.

Following protests by junior doctors, five student doctors at North Bengal Medical College were suspended for six months for alleged highhandedness and involvement in malpractices.

The junior doctors in West Bengal had partially resumed duties on September 21 after a 42-day protest over the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here on August 9.

However, alleging that the government did not fulfill its promises, the doctors went on a cease work again on Tuesday.

“We have been alleging from the beginning that there is deep-rooted corruption in the state health department and medical colleges. This corruption must be rooted out. Our agitation has only given hope to junior doctors and resident doctors to raise their voices against the corruption,” said Aniket Mahato, an agitating medic.

In addition to demanding quick justice for the deceased doctor, the agitating medics outlined a broader list of grievances. Among their nine demands are the removal of the state’s health secretary, greater police protection in hospitals, and the recruitment of permanent female police personnel.

The doctors also called for the immediate filling of all vacant posts for doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers, as well as the implementation of a digital bed vacancy monitoring system in hospitals.