Bengal Health Department orders probe into supply of ‘unfit’ medical kits to RG Kar

Kolkata, Oct 10 (IANS) The West Bengal Health Department has ordered a probe on the basis of complaints regarding the supply of “unfit” medical kits to the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata where a junior woman doctor was raped and murdered in August this year.

The junior doctors of R.G. Kar have claimed that recently a consignment of sealed surgical gloves have reached the trauma-care centre of the state-run medical college and hospital, where dried blood stains were noticed on a number of gloves within the sealed packets.

The junior doctors have claimed that in case these surgical gloves with blood-strains had been used, the patients would have been subjected to infection.

The protesting junior doctors have also alleged that besides such “unfit” consignment of surgical gloves, fungus have been detected.

The West Bengal Health Department has ordered a detailed probe into the matter.

State Health Secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam has claimed that the Central Medical Store, from where surgical gloves have been supplied, have been directed to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, the junior doctors continuing with their protest about the rape and murder have claimed that their protests are also against such irregularities in different state-run hospitals which can be hazardous for the patients.

“If surgical gloves with blood stains are used while treating patients, chances of the patients being affected by viruses are always high. Such complaints of about the supply of unfit medical kits at the state-run medical colleges and hospitals are nothing new,” said a protesting junior doctor.

In fact, besides conducting a probe into the rape and murder case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also carrying out a parallel probe on the financial irregularities at R.G. Kar.

In the second case, one of the main charges against the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh is manipulating the tendering system, thus enabling his confident suppliers to supply medical equipment against commissions.

–IANS

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