Doctors decry Abhishek Banerjee's ‘misleading post’ on patient's death at RG Kar, demand apology
Doctors at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital have been on a protest since the August 9 rape-murder at the facility of a medic, who was undergoing training there.
A doctors' forum in West Bengal has written to Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, to protest his claim that a man died after not receiving treatment at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and demanded his ‘unconditional public apology.’
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Doctors at RG Kar have been on a protest since the August 9 rape and murder at the hospital of a medic, who was undergoing training there.
In its letter to Banerjee, the Trinamool's national general secretary, the Joint Platform of Doctors, West Bengal, expressed ‘concern’ over the politician's statement, calling it ‘untrue’ and ‘malicious.’
“This statement is categorically false and misleading. The young male patient, suffering from polytrauma due to a tragic road accident, was referred to a higher center from Srirampur, and was received at RG Kar promptly at 9:10am on the same day, September 6. The doctors on duty immediately attended to him and continued to to provide medical care at frequent intervals until his unfortunate demise at 12:30pm, as noted in the provisional death certificate,” the letter read.
“Contrary to your claim, the patient did not ‘bleed for three hours without receiving medical attention.’ Your assertion lacks any foundation in truth and disregards the efforts made by the medical professionals who did everything to save the patient's life,” it added.
Further, the doctors' body called on Banerjee to take ‘prompt corrective action’ as his ‘potentially dangerous’ claim might lead to ‘repercussions’ for the medical community, already under ‘immense pressure’ due to the August 9 incident.
The RG Kar rape and murder, which has led to a national outcry, is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Supreme Court has also taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.