West Bengal Medical Council Elections: 19 doctors alleging irregularities in Polls Transferred

Kolkata: Altogether 19 doctors in West Bengal have been transferred by the State Health Department following their active participation in the West Bengal Medical Council Elections as candidates/ campaigners/ counting agents on behalf of Joint Platform of Doctors, West Bengal.

Renowned doctors including Dr. Basu, Dr. Paraga Baran Pal, Dr Mansa Kumar Gumta, Dr. Tulika Jha, and Dr. Saraswati Dutta are among the doctors who have been transferred.

While the State is claiming it to be a routine transfer, the doctors have alleged that this is nothing but a punishment given to the doctors for standing up against the Government, for pointing out irregularities in the Election process.

Already, the doctors under the umbrella of Association of Health Service Doctors have criticised the Government for this and Joint Platform of Doctors have also submitted deputation at the Swasthya Bhawan on December 21, 2022.

Medical Dialogues had recently reported that in the order dated June 29, 2022, the Single Judge bench had ordered that the present West Bengal Medical Council will stand dissolved from July 31 as it was continuing unlawfully and the bench had also directed that the election process of the doctors' body, including declaration of results, be concluded within three months from that date.

Also Read: High Court orders dissolution of West Bengal Medical Council

It has been alleged by the doctors that despite receiving threats from the pro-government candidates, the medical fraternity gave huge votes and huge support to the candidates of the joint platform. However, aware of the fact that they would lose the election, the pro-government doctors allegedly turned the entire election process into a mockery by submitting thousands of fake ballots.

Following this, the Joint Platform of doctors became forced to take legal action and consequently the High Court seized all the election documents. Consequently, altogether 19 doctors got transferred on December 16, 2022.

As per the latest media report by Newsclick, Dr. Basu, who is currently employed at National Medical College Hospital, Kolkata, has been transferred to Jhargram Medical College Hospital. Dr. Dutta has been transferred from Calcutta Medical College Hospital to Bankura Sammilani Medical College Hospital.

Dr. Pal and Dr. Gumta from College of Medicine and Sagar Dutta Hospital has been transferred to Deven Mahato Medical College Hospital in Purulia and Bankura Sammilani Medical College Hospital respectively.

Apart from them, Dr. Jha has been transferred from Rampurhat Medical College Hospital to Raiganj Medical College Hospital in North Bengal. The daily adds that Dr. Jha refused to hand the ballots to government officials and protested against vote looting by the ruling party's medical leaders during the election process of the State Medical Council.

Issuing a Press Release in this regard on December 17, the Association of Health Services Doctors stated, "On the one hand, the health department is saying routine transfer, on the other hand, almost everyone is being called from home and given the release order. What is the rush if the routine will be changed? Why should a teaching doctor be called and released from home on Saturday? In all the medical colleges in which they have been transferred, are those colleges such that they cannot wait even a day? Then it has to be assumed that medical education has gone completely to 'Golla'. Those who are sitting in the administrative chairs with responsibility, what are they doing? We demand immediate cancellation of all retaliatory transfers."

Two Days later, the Association wrote to the Principal Secretary of the State Health Department on December 19 and mentioned in the letter, "The way by which this department through its recent transfer notification dated 16.12.22 and the after events therein, has been able to exact the organised retribution on several medical teachers following their active democratic participation in recently concluded WBMC election as candidates/ campaigner/ Counting agents on behalf of Joint Platform of Doctors, WB (a broad united platform of umpteen doctors organizations) and their chivalrous role in unleashing the ramped up corruption and countless malpractice in the said election, though commensurate with the mounting corruption in various fields in the state, thereby successfully paving a path to inflict an acidic assault upon the pluralistic fabric of our deep rooted democracy, made the entire conscious section of the society dumbfounded. We too could not expect to get such outstanding reward at this earliest. It is also a learning experience for all to see how the administration can succumb to the narrow political interest and act to inflict vendetta nakedly."

"While the entire election matters lie presently at the Hon'ble High Court, Kolkata with pending final judgment, such activity from the administration proves that primarily they are frightened to face the hard truth and so by undesirable exertion of power, try wrongly to transmit panic amongst the people with democratic values. It is an exemplary step on behalf of the department to transfer a Medical teacher to a peripheral medical college where the concerned speciality does not exist, to transfer two female Teachers to far away Colleges within one year of their previous transfer, to transfer the Gen Secretary of the largest Service Doctors organization in contravention to conventional norms as ugly punitive measures to satisfy only the nefarious intent from a section of doctors' group belonging to the ruling force," the letter further mentioned.

"In this background, we do not like to appeal anything before your good office after this orchestrated mindless assault bestowed upon the respected teachers but we must express our deepest concern that if the administration indulge and continue with such totalitarian attacks unabated and fail to safeguard the basic fabric of constitutional norms, then even the residual amount of democratic exercise, which may be assumed to be preserved in our state till date, will in no time be devastated completely leading to a horrendous bleak future for the coming days," it added.

Newsclick adds, some doctors have alleged that the five committee members having the responsibility for conducting the polls in the transparent manners have come down to fight the elections using the Biswa Bangla logo and Ashoka Stambha after declaring themselves pro-government.

In fact, at the time when the ballots reached the doctors, threats were allegedly given for submitting blank ballots like previous time. Apart from this, efforts were also made for collecting blank ballots by threats of transfer and withholding of promotions in the medical colleges. PGT doctors had allegedly been threatened with failing the examination if they did not submit the blank ballots.

Besides, pro-government supporters allegedly tried putting thousands of fake ballots in bags during the polls. On the other hand, several doctors kept guarding the ballot box day and night. During the counting process, several multi-coloured envelopes and countless fake ballots had been identified. Doctors also referred to unnecessary delays, widespread irregularities and negligence during the time of counting.

The protesting doctors allegedly received threats at the polling place as well. Now the doctors are alleging that the Government has issued the transfer order in line of their earlier threats.

Protesting against the transfer orders, a large team of Joint Platform of doctors submitted deputation to the Health Secretary and DME. During the discussion, it was decided that the transfer orders of Dr. Saraswati Dutta and Dr. Tulika Jha would be cancelled and a new order would be released, Association of Health Service Doctors mentioned in a recent release.

Also Read: HC junks PIL seeking Elections to West Bengal Medical Council