Kolkata, Oct 5 (IANS) : Arka Kumar Nag, counsel of former West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, sent a legal notice to three top doctors attached to state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital and state-run Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, both in South Kolkata, over a particular medical report of the former Chief Minister being made public in violation of patient-doctor confidentiality.
The notice was sent to the S.S.K.M. Director, Dr. Manimoy Bandyopadhyay, Bangur Institute’s Medical Superintendent & Vice-Principal (MSVP), Dr. Pijush Kumar Roy, and the Head of the Department of Neurology at Bangur Institute, Dr Atanu Biswas.
In the notice, a copy of which is available with the IANS, the counsel of Mamata Banerjee had stated that incomplete and biased details of the medical issues have been published on the basis of the reports that have been made public.
In the two-page notice sent through email, Nag had also raised the question on whether Mamata Banerjee’s permission was sought before making the report public, in violation of patient-doctor confidentiality.
In the notice, Nag had claimed that if this information was leaked without his client’s permission or without following the due legal process, appropriate action should be initiated against the officials concerned.
The legal notice was served amid an explosive allegation made by the current West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday, accusing his predecessor of making a false claim of her leg being fractured during the poll campaign at Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district for the 2021 state polls.
While speaking to media persons in this matter on Saturday afternoon, CM Adhikari also allegedly quoted a radiodiagnosis report from the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences dated March 11, 2021, which said that there was no sign of fracture in the limb of the former Chief Minister during that period.
He also said that a separate investigation in the matter will also be initiated; once the results of the bypolls for Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, scheduled on Tuesday, are declared on October 9.
However, Trinamool Congress legislator from Beleghata Assembly Constituency in North Kolkata, Kunal Ghosh, a prominent face of the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress, challenged the authenticity of the report and indirectly said that the radiodiagnosis report might have been doctored.
Ghosh, a journalist-turned-politician, said that since the current dispensation in West Bengal is run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questions were bound to arise regarding the authenticity of the report.
Ghosh also made a social media post claiming that it was not the practice of doctors or institutions to ever reveal anyone’s personal medical information.
Two days after Kunal Ghosh’s post, on Monday, Mamata Banerjee’s counsel served a legal notice to the three doctors over the former Chief Minister’s alleged medical records being made public.
In the legal notice, the three doctors have been questioned whether any medical documents of the former Chief Minister were given to the current Chief Minister and if ‘yes’ then whether the authorities concerned had followed proper legal procedures before doing that.
Mamata Banerjee’s counsel had stated that if the entire matter was done without following the legal process, action should be initiated against the officials concerned.
In the notice he had also asked the doctors to ensure that Mamata’ Banerjee’s “medical confidentiality” should not be violated and “misleading information” should not be circulated in future.
To recall, in 2021, Mamata Banerjee contested as Trinamool Congress candidate from Nandigram and was defeated by Adhikari by a margin of little less than 2,000 votes.
Later, she got elected in a bypoll from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in south Kolkata and retained her chair as the West Bengal Chief Minister for the third consecutive term.
Mamata Banerjee was reportedly injured while campaigning for the 2021 Assembly elections in Nandigram.
At that time, she campaigned for the elections with a plaster on her leg after being wheelchair bound.
