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'Negligent' hospital staff warned

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA OCT. 21. The West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, today invited into his Secretariat chambers the parents of the college student, Sushmita Biswas, who had died due to the alleged negligence of the staff of the SSKM Hospital on Friday last.

A visibly touched Mr. Bhattacharjee later said that if the charges of deliberate neglect were proven "it was a case of negligence of major proportions and those concerned would not be spared."

This comes a day after the Chief Minister announced that no demonstrations, meetings or processions would be allowed in the premises of Government Hospitals.

If doctors or other medical staff are suspected of failing their duties leading to a patient's death the matter would be inquired into and necessary action taken by the authorities concerned.

The events leading to Sushmita's death are being probed by a committee on the instructions of the State Government. The final report is yet to reach the Chief Minister.

But going by what has so far been brought to his notice, a case for initiating action against the erring hospital staff seems likely. The report would indicate whether there was negligence at different levels, Mr. Bhattacharjee said. Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff on duty at the time are being questioned.

Sushmita's death, after she was refused admission and forced to wait in the emergency ward for about 10 hours, had sparked angry protests in the hospital compound.

So had the death of a 19-year-old youth at the R.G. Kar Hospital on Sunday following which irate relatives almost came to blows with junior doctors.

These prompted Mr. Bhattacharjee to instruct police to take stern action against those trying to flout the strictures against demonstrations in hospital premises.

"Attacks on doctors will not be tolerated," he said.

The Chief Minister also appealed to political parties and trade unions which have supported and on occasions organised such demonstrations within hospital compounds to desist from encouraging such activity.

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