Youth dies due to ‘non-treatment’ at RG Kar amid doctors’ stir, help desks in 5 govt hosps shut
Kolkata: A day after the state Health department had to close down help desks at all the five medical colleges in the city following the agitation of ‘Joint Platform of Doctors’, a youth from Hooghly’s Konnagar, who was brought to RG Kar Medical College after a road accident died allegedly due to non-treatment at the same hospital.
The Health department had to shut down the helpdesks on Thursday after the junior doctors under the fold of ‘Joint Platform of Doctors’ gheraoed the helpdesks.
Urging the doctors to resume work, MP and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote on X: “A young boy from Konnagar lost his life today following a road accident, after BLEEDING FOR 3 HOURS WITHOUT RECEIVING MEDICAL ATTENTION, a consequence of the ongoing protest by doctors in response to the #RGKar incident. While the demands of the junior doctors are both fair and valid, I urge them to protest in a way that doesn’t disrupt essential medical services. Allowing a death due to PREVENTABLE NEGLECT is tantamount to CULPABLE HOMICIDE. If the protest has to continue, it should be done constructively, with empathy and humanity, ensuring no more lives are put at risk through inaction or neglect.” The junior doctors had claimed that help desks were sending across the wrong message that health services were not available in the hospitals due to junior doctors’ cease-work. Following the pressure from the agitating junior doctors, the Health department was forced to close the help desks. After the death of Konnagar youth, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh once again urged the agitating doctors to join duty. The youth identified as Bikram Bhattacharjee met with a road accident at the Viveknagar area when his two legs were crushed under the wheels of a speeding truck late on Thursday night.
The victim was initially taken to a hospital in Serampore. He was then shifted to RG Kar Medical College. It was alleged that the victim was left unattended for several hours.
The patient was not allegedly admitted to the hospital. The family members of the patient were reportedly told that as there were no doctors, the victim had to be shifted elsewhere. The victim eventually lost consciousness due to excessive bleeding and eventually died. Kunal Ghosh on his X handle mentioned the incident and urged the agitating doctors to return to work. Incidentally, the Supreme Court had already urged the agitating doctors to go back to work. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had appealed to the junior doctors to resume work. The Health department has already fulfilled almost all the demands of the agitating junior doctors. Meanwhile, the help desks were set-up round-the-clock to help patients who were not able to receive medical care or beds in the 5 medical colleges in Kolkata. The person approaching the desk was asked to provide his Swasthya Sathi details. The help desk persons were approaching the Swasthya Sathi Cell of Swasthya Bhawan to find out the nearest available Swasthya Sathi bed in a private hospital so that the person can get immediate medical attention.
On Thursday, the help desks in all five medical colleges had to be closed down following the pressure of agitating junior doctors, health department sources said.
