Centre's move to open medical college at Jalpaiguri hospital breaches protocol

Kolkata: Chandrima Bhattacharya, minister of state for Health has severely criticised the Centre for not informing the state government about the opening of a medical college at Jalpaiguri district hospital and breaching the protocol.

Union minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, informed Dilip Ghosh, the state BJP president, about the Centre's decision that the Centre will upgrade Jalpaiguri district hospital into a medical college, in a letter dated January 23. The letter reads: "It gives me immense pleasure to inform that Government of India has sanctioned the opening of a new government medical college by upgrading the Jalpaiguri district hospital in West Bengal."

Reacting sharply to the incident she said: "The state Health department is headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee so how could the Centre take a decision to upgrade a district hospital and turn it into a medical college without informing her. The state government will have to run the medical college and recruit teachers and non-teaching staff. How could they inform an MP and state president of the party about such a vital decision."

Bhattacharya added that there are 18 medical colleges in Bengal including four private ones. The country's one of the oldest medical college, the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital is in Kolkata. There are three state-run medical colleges in Kolkata along with a post-graduate institute in the city.

"Bengal is the only state that offers treatment free to the patients. Even people from neighbouring states and countries come to Bengal for treatment. Heart transplantation has been done free of cost in Bengal. The institutional delivery has now reached around 96 per cent," said the minister.

"Not that the Centre does not know about our achievement in the health sector but despite that, it has informed the BJP state president about the decision. The medical college will have to be run by the state government and not BJP," she added. Dilip Ghosh, the BJP state unit president said he has been informed as he is an MP and the president of the party's Bengal wing.