Malda, Aug. 27 -- Union Minister of State for Education and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar on Thursday raised concerns over the condition of medical college infrastructure in West Bengal while attending a Khelo India dialogue with budding sportspersons in Malda. The programme, organised ahead of National Sports Day on August 29, also saw Assembly Chief Whip Amlan Bhaduri criticising the former state government over the condition of Malda Medical College and Hospital.

Speaking on the sidelines of the programme, Majumdar, commenting on the newborn deaths at Malda Medical College and Hospital, said that the state's medical colleges required substantial improvement in infrastructure.

"During the Trinamool Congress government, medical colleges have come up like mushrooms but many of them still require significant infrastructural development. They cannot yet be called fully functional medical colleges in the true sense. We are trying to ensure that proper infrastructure is developed in these colleges at the earliest," Majumdar said.

He termed the matter very much 'undesirable' and stated: "The health department is looking into this and if it is found that deaths occurred due to negligence then the persons responsible will face severe action."

His remarks came amid reports of 77 newborn deaths at Malda Medical College (MMC) till August 24, including 60 deaths between August 1 and 17 with 10 deaths in a single day. The Health Department has sought a detailed report from the medical college and three other institutions, including information on referral cases, causes of death, staffing and SNCU equipment.

Bhaduri, meanwhile, launching a sharper attack, said: "During the Trinamool government, doctors were sent to the MMC as punishment. They are not providing proper services," Bhaduri alleged.

"The entire system needs to be corrected. This cannot be done in a single day, but we have already started discussing the matter," Bhaduri said.

The BJP leaders said improving healthcare infrastructure would require sustained efforts, while the administration continues to examine the circumstances surrounding the newborn deaths.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.