Doctors in Bengal issue strong statement against Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. File.
| Photo Credit: ANI

A top doctors’ association in West Bengal has demanded an unconditional apology from Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee for his claim that a young accident victim had died because doctors were busy protesting against the rape and murder of a young doctor on duty at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH).

Calling Mr. Banerjee’s claim on social media “untrue and incendiary”, the Joint Platform of Doctors (West Bengal) demanded an unconditional apology from him — this being the first time that doctors have directly taken on the top rung of the TMC leadership.

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“We are writing to formally protest and express deep concern regarding the untrue and malicious statement you posted on your X (formerly Twitter) handle on September 6, 2024, at 10:27 PM. In your post, you stated: ‘A young boy from Konnagar lost his life today following a road accident, after bleeding for three hours without receiving medical attention, a consequence of ongoing protest by doctors in response to the #RGkar incident.’ This statement is categorically false and misleading,” the platform said in a strongly-worded statement issued Sunday night.

“The young male patient, suffering from polytrauma due to a tragic road accident, was referred to a higher centre from Srirampur and was received at R.G. Kar Medical College promptly at 9:10 AM on the same day, September 6. The doctors on duty immediately attended to him and continued to provide medical care at several intervals until his unfortunate demise at 12:30 PM, as noted in the provisional death certificate… Contrary to your claim, the patient did not ‘bleed for three hours without receiving medical attention’,” it said.

“Your assertion lacks any foundation in truth and disregards the efforts made by the medical professionals who did everything within their power to save the patient’s life. Your public statement is not only factually incorrect but also potentially dangerous. By spreading such misinformation, you are risking inciting violence and hostility against the medical community, which is already under immense pressure and shock after the heinous crime committed against a trainee doctor on August 9,” the statement said.

Punyabrata Gun of the platform told The Hindu that the ruling Trinamool Congress was now out to break the movement for justice and that party workers were turning violent against protestors. “They unleashed violence against protesters first in Mathabhanga, then in Barasat, and last night in Naihati. They want to instil fear among people. They want to discredit doctors. It is very unfortunate that the accident victim died, but what could the doctors do? They tried their best, but they cannot stop death,” Dr. Gun said.