Mamata Banerjee's lawyer serves legal notice to hospitals, health dept over medical records disclosure

Kolkata: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's lawyer on Monday sent a legal notice to the state-run SSKM Hospital and the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences over the alleged disclosure of her medical records from 2021 without her consent, a source in the health department said.

Banerjee’s bete noire, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has claimed that his predecessor had faked her leg injury during campaigning in Nandigram in 2021.

At a press conference a few days ago, he had held up a document saying it was the March 11, 2021, report of the Department of Radio Diagnosis of Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, which showed no evidence of a fracture, PTI reported.

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Adhikari had said the state government would launch a fresh inquiry into Mamata Banerjee’s “false claims” of leg injury during the 2021 assembly poll campaign.

Following this, Banerjee’s lawyer Arka Nag sent the legal notice through email to the director and medical superintendent of SSKM and the head of the neurology department at Bangur Institute of Neurosciences.

He sought an explanation on how his client’s medical records reached Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and were subsequently made public, the source said. A copy of the notice was also forwarded to the principal secretary of the state health department.

The notice refers to statements made by Adhikari on October 3, arguing that even if the medical records were obtained by the state or an investigating agency through a lawful process, that did not by itself permit their disclosure to the public.

The notice also seeks to know whether the reports were disclosed pursuant to any court order and, if not, what action was taken against those who provided the documents. It further sought clarification on whether the reports made public were the original medical records.  

The issue relates to an incident during the 2021 Assembly election when Banerjee, who was the then chief minister and the Trinamool Congress candidate from Nandigram, sustained injuries near Birulia Bazar while campaigning.

Banerjee subsequently campaigned from a wheelchair, and the nature and extent of her injuries became a major political issue during the election.

After the TMC returned to power, Banerjee was seen walking.

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