The investigating agencies across the country are still vying among themselves as to what could have been the possible cause of the accident, but sadly, no light has yet been thrown on the reason why a majority of those killed in the accident were miserable patients from West Bengal.
A large number of people in the two passenger trains involved in the accident, namely the Coromandel Express and the Bengaluru-Howrah Express, were residents of our state, who were either going to or returning from south India, where they had gone for their advanced medical checkup or treatment.
It is indeed a pity that at a time when doctors in Bengal are increasingly getting recognized, awarded and appreciated across the globe, patients from the state are rushing in hordes towards Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Chennai, Vellore and other cities with advanced health set-ups in the Deccan.
During the past six weeks, three top physicians of Siliguri have achieved international excellence in their respective field of excellence. While a renowned general physician of Siliguri, Dr Shankha Sen and Dr Debasis Chakrabarti, associate Professor, Medicine, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital were awarded the prestigious Fellowship of the American Colleges of Physicians at San Diego in California on April 27, a noted plastic surgeon of Siliguri, Dr Neela Bhattacharya, received the prestigious International Scholar Fellowship of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently. The senior plastic surgeon, who is the only person from India to get the scholarship for this year, was awarded "The 100 Women Achiever" Award by the President of India in 2016 and was also recognized as one of the "25 Women Transforming India" by the Prime Minister's Office and the Niti Aayog in 2016.
According to Dr Bhattacharya, the main reason why despite a sterling record of achievements of doctors in north Bengal during the past few years people from this region are running to south India for treatment every year is the lack of adequate and quality infrastructure and support staff here. "There is very little to choose between the medical professionals in north Bengal and south India. There's no difference in their competence, but the facilities here are not up to the mark and the paramedical personnel are either under-qualified or understaffed. The dealing of the paramedical staff with the patients and their near ones is also not very good. Besides, the doctors here are overburdened with excessive work and can't spare much time for each and ever...
A large number of people in the two passenger trains involved in the accident, namely the Coromandel Express and the Bengaluru-Howrah Express, were residents of our state, who were either going to or returning from south India, where they had gone for their advanced medical checkup or treatment.
It is indeed a pity that at a time when doctors in Bengal are increasingly getting recognized, awarded and appreciated across the globe, patients from the state are rushing in hordes towards Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Chennai, Vellore and other cities with advanced health set-ups in the Deccan.
During the past six weeks, three top physicians of Siliguri have achieved international excellence in their respective field of excellence. While a renowned general physician of Siliguri, Dr Shankha Sen and Dr Debasis Chakrabarti, associate Professor, Medicine, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital were awarded the prestigious Fellowship of the American Colleges of Physicians at San Diego in California on April 27, a noted plastic surgeon of Siliguri, Dr Neela Bhattacharya, received the prestigious International Scholar Fellowship of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently. The senior plastic surgeon, who is the only person from India to get the scholarship for this year, was awarded "The 100 Women Achiever" Award by the President of India in 2016 and was also recognized as one of the "25 Women Transforming India" by the Prime Minister's Office and the Niti Aayog in 2016.
According to Dr Bhattacharya, the main reason why despite a sterling record of achievements of doctors in north Bengal during the past few years people from this region are running to south India for treatment every year is the lack of adequate and quality infrastructure and support staff here. "There is very little to choose between the medical professionals in north Bengal and south India. There's no difference in their competence, but the facilities here are not up to the mark and the paramedical personnel are either under-qualified or understaffed. The dealing of the paramedical staff with the patients and their near ones is also not very good. Besides, the doctors here are overburdened with excessive work and can't spare much time for each and ever...
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The Statesman Kolkata (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 11, 2023