Two doctors’ organisations on Wednesday demanded that the entire state medical council be dissolved and fresh elections held.

Hundreds of doctors, under the joint banner of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Bengal chapter and the Joint Platform of Doctors, walked to the Salt Lake office of the West Bengal Medical Council during the day.

“We want the entire medical council to be dissolved immediately and fresh elections held soon. A compromised medical council is dangerous for doctors. This is the place from where all corruption and threat culture is controlled,” said Kaushik Chaki, a senior member of the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD).

“There are allegations that the council did not conduct fair inquiries against certain doctors, against whom there were complaints, because of their proximity to the powers that be.”

The state medical council provides registration to all doctors practising in Bengal. The council also hears complaints of medical negligence against doctors.

Hundreds of doctors marched to the West Bengal Medical Council office in Salt Lake on Wednesday afternoon. They later walked to where the junior doctors were squatting on the road outside Swasthya Bhavan.

“The state medical council is the root of the extortion syndicate active across medical colleges. So we want the council to be dissolved,” said Sourav Datta, a member of the action committee of the IMA Bengal.

Doctors who marched said several members of the “north Bengal lobby”, which has been accused of running a reign of terror and corruption rackets at medical colleges, are members of the council.

Avik De, a postgraduate trainee at SSKM Hospital who has been suspended by the state health department, is a member of the council.

Birupaksha Biswas, also suspended by the health department, is a member
of the penal and ethics committee of the council. Biswas was a senior resident at
Burdwan Medical College before being released to Kakdwip Sub-divisional Hospital, in South 24-Parganas recently.

Sudipta Ray, president of the West Bengal Medical Council, said: “This is an elected body. We won an election and were appointed to the council. The charges against the council are false. Some doctors also went to court against the council.”