Thaindian News

Kolkata, Nov 3 (IANS) A US based Indian doctor who has filed a case against several members of the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) for criminal conspiracy Thursday demanded their removal from the council after a court issued summons to them.

“The metropolitan Magistrates court has found 17 members of the WBMC prima facie guilty of criminal conspiracy and has issued summons. The criminally indicted doctor members of the council have no legal or moral right to continue as members. We demand their immediate removal,” said Kunal Saha who heads the People for Better Treatment, a non governmental organisation (NGO) fighting against medical negligence.

Saha who addressed a press meet through video conferencing said he had presented a memorandum before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanding their removal.

Saha had filed the case after the WBMC absolved the doctors of medical negligence who were accused by Saha of causing death of his wife Anuradha.

The 17 doctors which include past president of the council Ashok Chowdhury and current vice president Subir Dutta have been ordered to appear before the court of metropolitan magistrate Friday.

Following Anuradha’s death on May 28, 1998, due to complications triggered by treatment at AMRI Hospitals in the city for fever and rashes, Saha filed a case of medical negligence against AMRI Hospitals and physician Sukumar Mukherjee, dermatologist Baidyanath Halder and physician Balaram Prasad.

The Supreme Court in 2009 had held the hospital and the three doctors guilty of medical negligence and remanded the case to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) for determination of compensation.

The NCDRC on Oct 21 awarded a record compensation, ordering the hospital and the three doctors to share among them a compensation of Rs.1,72,87,500/- payable to Saha.

The commission, however, while ordering the compensation named Saha guilty of “interfering” with Kolkata doctors’ line of treatment to his wife and of making “contributory negligence” in causing her death and ordered deduction of 10 percent of the total compensation amount for his contributory negligence.

Saha filed an appeal against the order holding him guilty of contributory negligence before the same forum. The matter is slated for hearing Nov. 11.

Saha on spending the compensation amount said: “I have given an affidavit before the Supreme Court stating that any amount that is ordered as compensation will be used for improving rural health care in India.”