‘Unsubstantiated claims’: Santanu Sen’s med registration suspended for 2 years

Kolkata: The West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) on Thursday suspended medical registration of Santanu Sen, a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP, for allegedly making unsubstantiated claims about possessing a foreign medical degree during practice .

The suspension spans for a two-year period during which Sen will not be able to practice as a doctor. Speaking to Millennium Post, Sen, however, remained resolute in his claim and stated he had not yet been formally communicated regarding the suspension. Criticising the council’s approach as vindictive, Sen argued for his right to mention his legitimate medical qualifications obtained overseas and he hinted at the possibilities for exploring legal steps against the WBMC.

“I have a registered MBBS qualification and also a registered postgraduate degree in radiology on the basis of which I practice as a radiologist. I was conferred FRCP from Glasgow. According to National Medical Council guidelines, any such conferred degree is an honorary qualification. One can write it against his/her credentials if he/she has an MBBS and Postgraduate degree. It could not have been used had I not had a postgraduate degree after MBBS. It would have been wrong if I used the foreign degree without having a postgraduate degree,” Sen said.

WBMC president Sudipto Roy told Millennium Post: “Sen has been suspended for a two-year period after he had failed to give a satisfactory reply about the mention of his foreign degree during practice. The degree that Sen has shown has no acceptance. Any foreign degree recognised by the Indian Medical Council needs to be registered with the state medical council.”