Kolkata, Aug 22: In a significant late-night decision on Wednesday, the West Bengal Health Department announced the transfer of three senior officials from Kolkata's state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, including its recently appointed Principal and Vice Principal.
The officials who were transferred include the newly-appointed Principal, Dr. Suhrita Pal, the Medical Superintendent and Vice Principal, Dr. Bulbul Mukhopadhyay, and the head of the Chest Medicine Department, Dr. Arunava Dutta Chowdhury. This move comes in response to the demands of protesting junior doctors and medical students from R.G. Kar Medical College, as well as representatives of the broader medical community in West Bengal.
State Health Secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam stated that the transfers were made to address the concerns of the protesting doctors and to ensure the resumption of normal medical services across the state.
Additionally, Nigam announced that the state government has revoked its earlier notification appointing former R.G. Kar Principal Dr. Sandip Ghosh as the Principal of Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital (CNMCH).
Earlier on Wednesday, medical professionals staged a protest rally to Swastha Bhavan, the headquarters of the state Health Department, where a delegation of the protesting doctors presented a memorandum outlining their demands. These demands included the withdrawal of Dr. Ghosh's appointment as CNMCH Principal and the removal of Dr. Pal as the current Principal of R.G. Kar Medical College.
Following the meeting, the delegation expressed dissatisfaction, stating that they had not received any firm commitments from the Health Department regarding their demands. They vowed to continue their agitation until their concerns were fully addressed. The state government's decision to transfer the officials is seen as a response to mounting pressure from the medical fraternity.
