Junior doctors block Former RG Kar Chest Medicine HOD from joining Malda Medical College Hospital

Kolkata: In protest against the West Bengal Health Department's decision to transfer Dr Arunabha Dutta Chowdhury, the former head of the chest medicine department of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital to Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Junior doctors staged a demonstration inside the administrative building and in front of the principal’s chamber on Thursday forcing Dutta to leave without assuming his role.  

Amid the nationwide rage over the alleged rape and murder of a second-year postgraduate respiratory medicine medico, the doctors and students refused to accept his joining at the institute and protested by blocking the administrative building of the MMCH and the office of the principal when Dutta arrived to join service. 

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As per The Telegraph sources, the state health department issued an order for the transfer of Dutta to MMCH and he was supposed to join the chest department of the institute on Thursday. Following this, he apprised the hospital authorities regarding his joining. 

However, when the doctor and students became aware of his joining order, they held a protest claiming that they would not allow Dutta to join their institute. They alleged that they could let him join MMCH only after getting his name cleared from the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Hospital that took place on August 9.

This agitation led to discussions among the College Council and the state Health department which instructed the MMCH authorities to return him without allowing him to join. Previously, a communication between Parthapratim Mukherjee, the principal of MMCH, the medical super cum vice principal (MSVP) Prasenjit Bar and other officials with the agitating doctors also failed. As a result, Dutta was forced to leave the premises without joining his services.

Clarifying that they had no personal grudge against Dutta, an intern said, “We have no personal grudge against Dutta Chowdhury. But in the current situation, when we are fighting to seek proper justice (for their deceased colleague), no doctor from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital should join here.” 

"We, the students, do not want him to join the MMCH in the context of the present situation. We believe he should not be allowed to join here till we get the desired justice (for the RG Kar victim)," said a junior doctor who participated in the protest. 

Speaking to Millennium Post, Partha Pratim Mukherjee said, “We are in contact with our higher authorities and have apprised them of the situation. Arunava Dutta Chowdhury has not joined MMCH. Due to the protests of the students, he could not join his post. We have sent the charter of demands of the protesters to the higher authorities.”

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