CM suspends Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling CMOH including NBMCH Supdt

UJJAL BHATTACHARYYA, EOI, Siliguri, 25 Jul 2014: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced from Nabanya in Kolkata the suspensions of Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling district chief medical officers of health Jagannath Sarkar and Dr. Subin Bhowmick, respectively including North Bengal Medical College and Hospital superintendent Amarendranath Sarkar. She said the decision was taken as the officials did not inform her or health minister of state Chandrima Bhattacharjee on how encephalitis has taken epidemic proportions across North Bengal.
Banerjee claimed neither any official reported to her or Bhattacharyya during their visit to North Bengal, nor have necessary arrangements be made to curb the outbreak. She added the officials are answerable to the government for their callousness.
Speaking to the EOI, NBMCH superintendent Sarkar said he is yet to receive an official suspension order and has been despatching reports from the hospital as usual. He further said the situation is presently under control and that no new patient was admitted or died today. He said vector-borne diseases claim lives every year during monsoon. Meanwhile, Dr. Bhowmik meekly said he would not comment against the decision of the state government.
Meanwhile, Jalpaiguri district health officials expressed strong disappointment at the chief minister’s decision saying CMOH Sarkar had been sending reports to the health department in Kolkata every week. They said Sarkar attended several meetings on vector-borne disease eradication till 3:30pm this afternoon even after news of his suspension began filtering in since the morning.