Siliguri, Sept. 3 -- The West Bengal Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) arrested a laboratory-cum-morgue assistant of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH,) after catching him red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 3000 for handing over a post-mortem report. The arrested employee has been identified as Babul Mallik.
According to ACB sources, investigators laid a trap at the hospital morgue following a specific complaint and caught Mallik. They applied a chemical to the 500 Rupee notes given to Mallik. When he accepted the money, his hands were washed in water, which then changed colour.
Allegations had been raised for some time that members of a network were demanding substantial amounts of money from people seeking post-mortem-related documents. Kaushik Ishore, the Superintendent of NBMCH who took charge around a month ago, also spoke about the challenges of addressing alleged indiscipline and malpractice within the hospital. He said several employees had been show-caused multiple times, but their conduct has not changed.
"Some permanent employees allegedly believed that their job status allowed them to act without consequence. Certain groups have created a strong syndicate within the hospital. We had faced threats of work suspension whenever strict action was initiated against such employees.
Such disruptions reportedly affected the transportation of bodies and led to a pile-up of bodies at the morgue. I am happy that at least one corrupt worker was arrested," said the Super.
Following the arrest, the hospital administration is preparing a detailed report for the Health Department and the Health Minister's office regarding those allegedly involved, with recommendations for suspension or strict departmental action.
The Superintendent also indicated that complaints of alleged corruption have surfaced in other areas, including the blood bank, outpatient ticket counter and patient admission process.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.