As hundreds of resident doctors return to work today ending their 11-day strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in Kolkata, following an appeal by the Supreme Court, reports of Bengal principals being bullied if they did not adhere to the directions of "an influential lobby" in the health department have surfaced.
This information came to light at a meeting held on Wednesday to address safety concerns of doctors, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said, as per a report by The Times of India.
In the meeting convened by IMA's Bengal wing on Monday, a female principal revealed that a junior doctor officiating as a member of the penal and ethical committee of the Bengal medical council called her names. This was after she refused to carry out the bidding of the "north Bengal lobby", which is allegedly named after their alma matter—North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
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"My family wasn't spared either. The junior doctor said 'they' would 'see' how my children stepped out of home," an IMA source quoted the principal as saying.
The action committee of the IMA West Bengal said that they had zero expectation of justice as they issued a statement on what was discussed in the meeting.
"We have zero expectation of justice when even a medical college principal does not feel safe at her workplace," the publication quoted the IMA as saying.
The IMA expressed its shock at the inaction of the state health department headquarters even after the principal informed them about what she had been facing.
"It is evident that the health department is run by power-hungry, blindfolded officials whose only worry is their next posting," it said.
Some principals even alleged that a few students were being given question papers before exams, and that many of them even accessed ChatGPT illegally for exams.
"The principal of a medical college in north Bengal reported that a faculty member distributed question papers to students before the start of the exam. A teacher from another north Bengal teaching hospital was removed as invigilator in the middle of an exam," the IMA reportedly said.
The association also named two young doctors who were part of the above mentioned lobby.
"Such mass oppression can only happen when a large part of the system is corrupt and operates like an efficient cartel," the IMA said as per the publication, as it allegedly mentioned an instance where a teacher was transferred for reasons that were politically motivated.
Meanwhile, the 15 principals who had attended the meeting expressed that the way in which the former R G Kar princial Dr Sandip Ghosh handled the case has tarnished the image of the medical fraternity.
Published 23 August 2024, 10:48 IST