CNMCH students, junior doctors protest against Sandip Ghosh's appointment

Kolkata, Aug 13 (IANS) With the erstwhile head of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh scheduled to take charge as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital from Tuesday, the students and junior doctors of CNMCH protested and were determined not to allow him to occupy the chair.

After locking the principal’s room from outside on Monday evening, the medical students and junior doctors assembled in front of the same room on Tuesday morning so that under no circumstance Ghosh could enter and occupy the chair at any cost.

The protesters also formed human barricades at different places in the CNMCH premises. The local Trinamool Congress legislator, Swarnakamal Saha, reached the spot and tried to convince the protesters to restrain from the agitation. He was accompanied by the state Disaster Management Minister, Javed Khan.

However, the protesting medical students and junior doctors remained adamant in their stand of not allowing Ghosh to occupy the principal’s chair. “We demand that Ghosh should not be allotted any kind of administrative assignment connected to the state health services. He should not be appointed as the principal of not just CNMCH but any other medical college and hospital in the state,” a protesting junior doctor said.

Another protester said that they are scared since they heard of the appointment of Ghosh as the principal of CNMCH. “We do not want CNMCH to be another R.G Kar,” he said.

A protesting doctor said that although they are currently observing cease-work at CNMCH, they are not creating obstructions to the functioning of the emergency department of the hospital.

Sandip Ghosh was appointed as the principal of the National Medical College & Hospital (NMCH) through a notification issued by the West Bengal Health Department hours after resigning as the principal of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital on Monday,

Meanwhile, a two-member team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) led by member Delina Khondup reached the RG. Kar Medical College and Hospital in the morning and were in conversation with the newly appointed principal there, Dr Suhrita Paul.