Bengal’s Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikary on Thursday alleged medical students were securing admission in private colleges in the state by forging documents.

This has lowered the standard of quality of doctors in Bengal, he claimed

“Candidates with forged documents have got admission in private medical colleges in connivance with Swastha Bhawan. The director of medical education [DME] was responsible for getting the documents verified from the ministry of external affairs [MEA],” Adhikary told journalists in a news conference at the BJP office in Calcutta’s Muralidhar Sen Lane.

“The documents were sent to the MEA’s local office in Calcutta. On October 1, 2019 the local office had informed Swasthya Bhawan the documents were forged. Since then the DME has himself been verifying the documents without sending them to the MEA,” Adhikary alleged.

The BJP leader claimed the scam ran into hundreds of crores that went to officials at the state health department.

“Due to admission under NRI category by using fake documents, those scoring poor ranks are getting admission. Every year hundreds of crores change hands to ensure the illegal admission process continues. This has lowered the standard of quality of doctors in Bengal,” he said.

Allegations of corruption by a section of health department officials, principals and other officials in the teaching hospitals and the involvement of a section of doctors and even medical students in it have surfaced since the rape and murder of the 31-year-old post graduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has been arrested for alleged corruption and also in connection with the rape and murder that has outraged Bengal and the country.

“At the Electronics Complex police station, a case was lodged against the director medical education, officials of the private medical colleges and the students who employed unfair means to secure admission – case no. 58 of 2024. Under pressure from Swasthya Bhawan, the state police are stalling the probe,” Adhikari alleged, wagging a bunch of documents.

He alleged that the state health department had issued a contract for super-specialty hospitals to a well-known public sector unit which went to five companies owned by a family close to the Trinamul general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee and another company with close links to the health minister herself.

At all the medical colleges in Calcutta, School of Tropical Medicine, the R Ahmed Dental College and the two homoeopathy colleges along with state-run healthcare establishments at Ranigunj, Kalyani, Katwa, Rezinagar, Duttapukur, Bankura, Mograhat, Haldia, Howrah and Itahar, the same companies were hired for running bio-medical waste treatment plants, Adhikari claimed.

”In all these places, the tender process was bypassed to secure the order for companies favoured by the health minister,” Adhikari said. “Three top officials in the health department were involved in corruption during Covid pandemic in the purchase of PPE kits and masks.”

On Saturday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee – who also holds the health portfolio – had announced the dismantling of the existing Rogi Kalyan Samitis, which controlled purchase and supplies at the hospitals and other healthcare centres across the state.

Adhikari also claimed ambulances worth Rs 8 crore were purchased from Punjab, bypassing the tender process that was issued on October 17, 2023. Around 25 ambulances were ordered from a company in Punjab’s Nawanshahar, he said.

“I have documents detailing the personal properties that the health department officials have made looting the people of Bengal,” Adhikari claimed.

The leader of Opposition alleged the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board had changed the scoresheets of several candidates, depriving them from jobs they were qualified for. He also claimed the director of homeopathy was not selected on the rules set down by the government.

“The chairperson and members of the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board acted on the instructions of the so-called ‘north Bengal lobby’ which ran the syndicate in the health department. Technical advisers were appointed as favours from those in power and bribes were exchanged for posting in departments and hospitals of choice,” Adhikari claimed.

The Trinamul’s response is awaited at the time of filing this report.