West Bengal doctors demand apology from MP Abhishek Banerjee for misleading post on patient's death at RG Kar Hospital

Kolkata: West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors on Monday wrote a letter to Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, demanding an unconditional apology for a misleading post after the latter said that a young boy from Konnagar lost his life after bleeding for 3 hours without receiving medical attention, a consequence of the ongoing protest by doctors in response to the RG Kar Medical College incident.

According to an ANI report, the doctors">Joint Platform of Doctors, West Bengal in a letter to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said that they were writing to formally protest and express deep concern regarding the untrue and malicious statement he posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on September 6, 2024, at 10:27 PM.

The letter stated, "In your post, you stated that a young boy from Konnagar lost his life today following a road accident, after bleeding for 3 hours without receiving medical attention, a consequence of ongoing protest by doctors in response to the #RGkar incident."

The letter said that this statement is categorically false and misleading.

The letter further said that contrary to the claim, the patient did not "bleed for 3 hours without receiving medical attention."

"Your assertion lacks any foundation in truth and disregards the efforts made by the medical professionals who did everything within their power to save the patient's life. Your public statement is not only factually incorrect but also potentially dangerous. By spreading such misinformation, you are risking inciting violence and hostility against the medical community, which is already under immense pressure and shock after the heinous crime committed against a trainee doctor at RGKMCH on August 9, 2024. Such baseless accusations further demoralize healthcare professionals who are struggling to serve the people of this state, despite the hostile conditions they currently face," the letter added.

The doctors">Joint Platform of Doctors demanded an unconditional public apology from Abhishek Banerjee.

"In light of these facts, we demand that you issue an unconditional public apology to the medical fraternity and immediately retract your false statement. It is imperative that political leaders like yourself exercise responsibility and ensure that your words do not inflame tensions or lead to further unrest. We expect you to set the record straight and take corrective action promptly to prevent any potential repercussions arising from your misleading post," the letter by the doctors">Joint Platform of Doctors added.

Taking to X on September 6 Abhishek Banerjee wrote, "A young boy from Konnagar lost his life today following a road accident, after BLEEDING FOR 3 HOURS WITHOUT RECEIVING MEDICAL ATTENTION, a consequence of the ongoing protest by doctors in response to the #RGKar incident. While the demands of the junior doctors are both fair and valid, I urge them to protest in a way that doesn't disrupt essential medical services. Allowing a death due to PREVENTABLE NEGLECT is tantamount to CULPABLE HOMICIDE. If the protest has to continue, it should be done constructively, with empathy and humanity, ensuring no more lives are put at risk through inaction or neglect."