Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, has been ordered to have his medical registration revoked by the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) due to his inability to reply to a showcause notice. In view of the allegations of irregularities made against him, Ghosh was requested to provide an explanation in the notice of September 7 as to why his medical registration should not be cancelled. Ghosh, who is incarcerated at the moment, was given three days to respond, but he did not.
The WBMC had threatened to cancel Ghosh’s registration if he didn’t reply within the allotted time or if his justification wasn’t good enough. The WBMC registrar, Manas Chakraborti, verified that Ghosh’s registration would be canceled “by Thursday.”
In response to the delay, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in West Bengal had earlier requested the WBMC to quickly remove Ghosh’s medical registration. In a statement, the IMA said that the medical community was keen to see Ghosh’s registration withdrawn given the charges of wrongdoing. The letter was signed by the IMA’s president, Dilip Pal, and honorary secretary, Santanu Sen.
Since several of the WBMC’s top executives, including its president Sudipta Roy and vice-president Sushanta Roy, are being accused of corruption, Ghosh’s case is entwined with larger problems inside the organization. The council now faces a credibility dilemma as a result of this. Roy is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with raids carried out as recently as Wednesday.
In addition, the Service Doctors’ Forum has demanded that the WBMC be dissolved due to anomalies and corruption. The forum’s delegates, Sajal Biswas and Durga Rasad Chakraborty, called for the dissolution of the council and cited widespread election cheating in the 2022 WBMC elections as a reason for concern.
At least five WBMC members have already resigned in the wake of the RG Kar Medical College scandal, citing the council’s diminished credibility. Avik De and Birupaksha Biswas are two more council members who are being investigated in connection with the ongoing controversy, in addition to Ghosh.
The medical community has taken a strong interest in the situation and is eagerly anticipating further developments.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
