Trinamool Debunks RG Kar Hospital Claim

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday disputed the claims made by Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital regarding the timely treatment of a 28-year-old man who passed away last week. The party released a video showing the deceased patient’s mother confronting a senior doctor, debunking the hospital’s narrative.

Bikram Bhattacharjee, a resident of Konnagar in Hooghly, around 25 km from Kolkata, was admitted to the state-run hospital after being hit by a truck. He succumbed to his injuries on Friday, September 6. Bikram’s parents allege that his death was due to a delay in treatment caused by the absence of doctors in the emergency ward. The hospital, however, denies these accusations.

Dr. Punyabrata Guin, Convenor of the Joint Forum for Doctors, had earlier asserted that Bikram received appropriate treatment on time, a claim now strongly refuted by the grieving family.

In the video posted on X by TMC, Bikram’s mother, Kabita, is seen speaking over the phone to someone who identifies as Dr. Guin. The TMC took to social media to support the family’s claims, stating, “One can barely fathom the agony of a mother who lost her child and is now forced to confront misinformation surrounding his tragic demise.”

The Mamata Banerjee-led party described the young man’s death as a “preventable loss” and urged doctors to resume work, highlighting the risks to numerous lives.

“This only reaffirms what Abhishek Banerjee rightly pointed out – the lives of innocent people must never be sacrificed at the altar of protests. Healthcare professionals must prioritize saving lives over preventable deaths caused by negligence,” the TMC tweeted.

TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee attributed the young man’s death to the ongoing doctors’ strike. While acknowledging the “fair and valid” demands of the junior doctors, he urged them to protest without disrupting essential medical services.

“Allowing a death due to preventable neglect is tantamount to culpable homicide,” Banerjee wrote on X. “If the protest must continue, it should be constructive, empathetic, and humane, ensuring no further lives are risked by inaction or neglect.”

Junior doctors have been on a ‘cease work’ strike at state-run hospitals in Bengal for nearly a month to protest the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar. Sanjay Roy, a civil volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was arrested in the case.

On Monday, the Supreme Court directed the protesting medics to return to their duties by 5 pm on Tuesday to avoid adverse actions by the state government. However, the junior doctors have declared that they will remain on strike in their quest for justice for the victim.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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