Protest but provide essential services: Abhishek Banerjee after youth died due to non-treatment

The death of 28-year-old Bikram Bhattacharjee from Konnagar, at RG Kar Medical College on Friday has ignited controversy. Bhattacharjee, who was hit by a truck, reportedly died after allegedly being left untreated for hours at the hospital, sparking public outrage.

The incident took place a day after the state health department reportedly had to close down help desks at all the five medical colleges in Kolkata following the agitation of ‘Joint Platform of Doctors’. The youth from Hooghly’s Konnagar was brought to RG Kar Medical College and died allegedly due to non-treatment at the same hospital.

Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh, citing media reports, claimed on social media that Bhattacharjee did not receive proper treatment. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also weighed in, stating that the ongoing doctors' protest in Kolkata delayed medical attention, causing Bhattacharjee to bleed for three hours before his death. He urged the protesting doctors to ensure essential services were not disrupted.

"While the demands of the junior doctors are both fair and valid, I urge them to protest in a way that doesn’t disrupt essential medical services. Allowing a death due to PREVENTABLE NEGLECT is tantamount to CULPABLE HOMICIDE. If the protest has to continue, it should be done constructively, with empathy and humanity, ensuring no more lives are put at risk through inaction or neglect,” Abhishek Banerjee wrote on X.

The hospital denied these allegations, asserting that Bhattacharjee was attended to immediately upon arrival by emergency medical officers and senior doctors. Despite receiving treatment, the hospital stated that his injuries were severe, rendering him hemodynamically unstable.

Bhattacharjee had been referred to RG Kar Medical College from Serampore Hospital after suffering multiple fractures. His family claims he was left unattended and was told there were no available doctors, which the hospital refutes.