West Bengal Medical Recruitment Faces Allegations of Unfair Practices
The selection process for assistant professor positions in West Bengal's medical colleges has ignited a major controversy. Many doctors are raising serious questions about the fairness of the recruitment system. This situation echoes the inequalities that plagued medical education before the cleanup following the RG Kar incident.
Controversial Names Appear on Merit List
The West Bengal Health Recruitment Board recently prepared a merit list for assistant professor posts across various disciplines. Several junior doctors associated with the North Bengal lobby have secured positions on this list. Among them are controversial figures, including a suspended doctor. The spouse of one such individual also made it onto the merit list.
"We are not claiming that every person on the merit list lacks merit," explained a senior doctor. "However, the problems that existed in the medical education system prior to the cleanup may have contributed to this controversial outcome."
Scoring System and Alleged Manipulation
Candidates were evaluated on a 100-point scale. They received 75 marks for academic qualifications, 10 marks for experience, and 15 marks from interviews. Notably, 85 of these marks came from academic and experience criteria established before the medical education cleanup drive began.
Health department sources allege that controversial doctors leveraged marks obtained through North Bengal lobby connections to secure their spots. According to these sources, interview panels awarded only 5 marks, while non-doctor HRB administration members decided the remaining scores.
Transparency Concerns and Verification Issues
Sourav Dutta, chairman of the state-level grievance redressal committee, expressed clear concerns. "The interview process is mired in controversies," he stated. "Transparent work by the HRB and the directorate of medical education could have prevented these issues."
Sources reveal additional procedural problems. The recruitment board did not physically verify candidates' original documents. "This is a serious matter," a source emphasized. "Anyone could tamper with documents or provide false evidence. Furthermore, No Objection Certificates for senior residents were not mandatory for interview participation."
Medical Fraternity Demands Intervention
The medical community is voicing strong objections. "How can a suspended doctor participate in recruitment and get selected?" questioned another senior doctor. "Certain HRB members exert control over the medical fraternity, and they need these controversial North Bengal lobby doctors to maintain that influence. We urge the Chief Minister to intervene."
Professor Manas Gumta of general surgery echoed these sentiments. "We demanded transparent recruitment, but that standard was not maintained. Consequently, controversial names have entered the system."
Sajal Biswas, general secretary of the Service Doctor Forum, made specific allegations. "Marks for these controversial candidates were deliberately increased to recruit them as assistant professors," he claimed.
The controversy highlights ongoing challenges in West Bengal's medical recruitment system. It raises questions about whether reforms implemented after previous incidents have truly taken root.
