Abhishek Banerjee booked for medical lapse at health camp
There are more problems for Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
A woman who lost her legs during treatment at Sebashraay health camp, a much-touted healthcare outreach initiative set up by the TMC MP, has lodged a police complaint against the leader, saying she was cheated and defrauded in the name of giving free treatment.
One Prabir Biswas, husband of Malati Biswas, the victim, lodged a police complaint a couple of days ago stating his wife’s leg had to be amputated due to medical negligence. The police have drawn an FIR based on the complaint.
It has been stated in the complaint that Biswas was prodded by a TMC councillor to attend the health camp. “She had pain in her legs… they prescribed medicines, but it did not heal… the specialist doctors did not look like those… at most they looked like medical students… after several visits we were referred to Government hospital where operation was conducted on my wife’s legs… the surgery went wrong, and her leg had to be amputated.”
An official at the Rabindranagar police station said that an FIR had been registered against Banerjee and some other persons, and investigations were on.
The Diamond Harbour MP had unveiled the Sebaashray initiative, coined the “Diamond Harbour Model” last year and set up several camps wherein prospective patients (read: villagers) were invited to get free health check-ups before the elections.
According to the police, at least three similar FIRs have been lodged by different parties who complained that “musclemen of notorious local TMC leader of Falta Jahangir Khan were appointed to forcibly bring the people to the camp. “I had no issues but was forced to attend the health camp… they conducted various tests, but reports would never arrive,” said another patient.
Several senior government doctors from various medical colleges presently up in arms against Banerjee have confirmed the subject matter of the complaints lodged against Banerjee, saying they were under constant pressure of being transferred to remote areas should they not send junior doctors and even students feigning them as specialist doctors.
The TMC MP, who could not be contacted for his reaction to the FIRs, was already in trouble, facing charges of issuing public threats against the BJP workers after the elections. In one such case, Banerjee has been issued bail by the High Court on the condition that he would cooperate with the police by giving his voice samples.
Banerjee had been heard during a public campaign threatening the BJP workers with dire consequences after they returned to power post May 4, when the results would come out. “Mamata Banerjee is compassionate … so she plays Rabindra Sangeet… but I am not … we will play DJ along with Rabindra Sangeet after election results are out on May 4,” he said.
