Kolkata: Dr. Santanu Sen, a former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP and ex-president of the Rogi Kalyan Samity (RKS) at R.G. Kar Medical College Hospital, has been removed from the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC). This decision comes just two weeks after Dr. Sudipto Roy, Sreerampur MLA and WBMC president, requested the state health department to replace Dr. Sen.
Dr. Roy proposed that the health department nominate a new representative to the council in place of Dr. Sen, who had been appointed by the state government.
The removal has intensified the rivalry between the two Trinamool Congress leaders, both vying for control of the council, which investigates complaints of medical negligence and issues registrations to new medical graduates.
Dr. Sen, reportedly a close associate of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, was previously dropped from the party’s list of spokespersons. His removal followed a series of controversial statements regarding the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College.
In a letter to Narayan Swaroop Nigam, principal secretary of the health department, Dr. Roy alleged that Dr. Sen had been absent from council meetings for months, disqualifying him from membership.
The state government, which nominates three members to the WBMC, will select Dr. Sen’s replacement soon, according to sources. The current members include Trinamool MLA Dr. Nirmal Maji and junior doctor Sourav Paul.
The WBMC’s functioning has been under scrutiny, especially following statewide protests by junior doctors between August and October after the R.G. Kar Hospital incident. One of their demands was the dissolution of the medical council.
