The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has suspended the membership of former RG Kar Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh, who was at the helm of the institution when a trainee doctor was brutally raped and murder. A probe into the alleged financial irregularities at the institution during his tenure is underway.
The decision to suspend Ghosh’s IMA membership, who is also the vice president of the association’s Kolkata branch, was made by its disciplinary committee. The IMA said that the committee, formed by IMA national president Dr R V Asokan, reviewed the rape and murder case of the postgraduate resident doctor and the subsequent developments at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The IMA general secretary along with Asokan had met the victim’s parents at their home. “They had put up their grievances against you (Ghosh) in dealing with the situation as well as lack of empathy and sensitivity in handling the issue in appropriate manner befitting the responsibility held by you in your dealings with them,” the order said.
In the backdrop of the brutal incident, the Centre has written to the states suggesting measures to ensure the safety of medics at workplaces. Night patrolling on hospital premises and regulating access for people to key areas are among the measures suggested.
“The IMA Bengal state branch as well as certain associations’ of doctors also have demanded action citing the nature of disrepute brought by you to the profession on the whole,” it said. The order said the disciplinary committee of the IMA has “unanimously decided to suspend you forthwith from the membership of Indian Medical Association.”
Sandip Ghosh, who served as principal of RG Kar Hospital from February 2021 to September 2023, is facing serious accusations. These include the illegal sale of unclaimed bodies, trafficking of biomedical waste, and pressuring students for bribes to pass exams.
His tenure was marked by controversy, including his removal and subsequent reinstatement following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the hospital.
