Neonatology doctor shifted to hospital without neonatology ward

Dr Arun Singh’s case is the latest in the series of such transfers that has created a stir among the medical fraternity. Singh has been transferred to Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital in North 24-Parganas. While health department officials said Dr Singh was transferred as he had “misbehaved with a senior official of state health services”,other said that it had more to do with his alleged connection with a section of CPM leaders.

A few days ago,Singh had submitted his resignation after some hospital staff members,close to Trinamool Congress allegedly misbehaved with him. His resignation was not accepted then.

“Dr Singh is one of the few government doctors who has refused to be swayed away by lucrative private practices. He worked passionately and tirelessly whole time in his department for sick newborns. Is this the reward for his full-time dedication to his department? Is it fair to transfer him to a place where there is no neonatology wing?” said a fellow professor at IPGMER.

Significantly after Mamata Banerjee came to power,there has been a major shake up of the state’s healthcare administration with the CM,who also holds the health portfolio,shunting out as many as 88 professors from city-based medical colleges and to district hospitals.

A doctor of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital said Mamata was behaving like Prasanta Sur,who was the health minister in the 1980s. “Sur had imposed a ban on private practice of government teaching doctors. The result was disastrous as all the good doctors left government jobs affecting teaching in at government medical colleges. Mamata’s arbitrary transfers will force doctors to give up their government jobs thereby affecting poor patients who come to government hospitals for treatment,” said the doctors.