India
Kolkata junior doctors allege threats after stampede
The Hindu·
Junior doctors at Medical College Kolkata said they face threats after reporting mismanagement while treating a Durga Puja stampede that killed 19 people. Debasish Haldar of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front said intimidation followed their facility complaints. Intern Soumyadeep De filed a Bowbazar police complaint against Dr. Birupaksha Biswas. Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee called them a small cohort.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Families of junior doctors were also named as targets of intimidation, according to the doctors.
- Bowbazar police received an emailed complaint from intern Soumyadeep De over alleged threats.
- Senior doctors in the West Bengal Joint Doctors Forum issued solidarity statements with juniors.
What's Happening
- Doctors held a press conference hours after the October 17 stampede to flag hospital facility gaps.
- Haldar said the Health Department and hospital administrators were shifting blame onto juniors.
- Mukherjee told The Hindu the group does not represent all junior doctors and interns.
After The RG Kar Protests
- Several juniors earlier accused Dr. Biswas of driving a threat culture during 2024 RG Kar protests.
- Medical College Kolkata is a government tertiary hospital in the West Bengal capital.
- Doctors said they were told to offer private-hospital options to families of the injured.
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