Kolkata: Superintendent of Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital Dr Buddhadeb Murmu, whose advice for bed-rest came handy for Anubrata Mandal in ducking Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summons, has now come under the scanner of the central agency.
The focus shifted on him after Dr Chandranath Adhikari, the physician who gave the bed-rest prescription in plain paper, alleged that he was forced by Murmu to issue the advice.
On Tuesday morning, soon after the CBI officials reached Mandal's residence at Bolpur in Birbhum district to handover the summons for appearance at CBI's Kolkata office on Wednesday by 11 a.m, a team of doctors from Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital also reached there. After initial check-up, the medical team came out after submitting a medical advice for 14 days of bed-rest for Mandal on a plain paper.
As the news went viral, the authorities of Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital came under severe criticism especially in view of the fact that a seven-member medical team of state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital had, just a day ago, refused admission to Mandal saying his medical complications were not so critical and could be treated by medicines.
From Tuesday night onwards, Dr Chandranath Adhikari, who issued the medical advice on a plain paper started speaking to mediapersons and claimed that he was forced to issue the medical advice by superintendent of Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital Dr Buddhadeb Murmu.
"I was on leave on Tuesday. But Dr Murmu called me up and asked me to visit Mandal's residence for a medical check-up. I insisted that Mandal should come to the hospital for it, but Dr Murmu asserted that I should go. At his residence, Mandal asked me to issue a medical advice for 14 days of bed rest. I called up Dr Murmu again and told him that since I was on leave, I was not carrying my official letterhead. Then Dr Murmu insisted that I write the medical advice for 14 days of bed rest on a plain paper. I thought it wise to follow his advice then since I will have to stay in Bolpur. But now I am feeling bad since somewhere in the process my image as a physician got tarnished," Adhikari said.
Murmu, on his part, said that he was asked by the Birbhum district administration to send the medical team to Mandal's residence. "Even though I am on leave, I had to send the medical team following the instructions of the district administration," he said.
CBI officials have questioned how a doctor, who is holding the position of a state-run hospital superintendent can direct a junior doctor to issue medical advice on a plain paper. The central agency officials are considering questioning Murmu in the matter.
—IANS