Govt overhauls hospital panels in 24 medical colleges, drops key political leaders

The West Bengal government has officially announced a major restructuring of the Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS) in 24 state-run medical colleges across the state. The decision, made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, comes after a series of protests by junior doctors at RG Kar Medical College, demanding changes to hospital administration. As per the restructuring, the principals of each medical college will now serve as the chairpersons of the RKS, replacing political leaders who had previously held the positions.

In the new structure, political figures are still included as government representatives, but they will no longer be the chairpersons. For instance, MLA Supti Pandey has been appointed as the government representative for NRS Medical College, while Minister Aroop Biswas has been assigned as the representative for SSKM Hospital. Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh will represent RG Kar Medical College, while Shashi Panja, Javed Khan, and Madan Mitra have been appointed for Kolkata Medical College, National Medical College, and Sagar Dutta Medical College, respectively.

Significantly, several prominent political leaders have been excluded from the newly formed committees. These include Shantanu Sen, who was the chairman of the NRS RKS; Sudipta Roy, who held the position of chairman at RG Kar and Kolkata Medical College; and Nirmal Maji. Their names do not appear in the list of newly appointed representatives, marking a shift in the composition of the RKS.

The restructuring of the RKS is aimed at enhancing the functioning of medical colleges and hospitals across the state. The primary goal is to improve patient welfare, streamline hospital administration, and reduce political influence in medical institution management. The new committees will begin their operations immediately, with the principals overseeing the day-to-day functioning and management of the RKS in their respective institutions. The Health Department will continue to monitor the activities of these committees to ensure smooth functioning and improved services.