The Opposition Left Front has criticised the Trinamool government in West Bnegal for failing to take necessary steps to prevent the spate of crib deaths over the past few days at the Bidhan Chandra Roy Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences (BCRPGIPS), a major State-run children’s hospital here. Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Surya Kanta Mishra on Sunday charged the government with adopting a “vindictive attitude” towards a section of doctors who had initiated development in neonatal care in the State over the past years during the Left Front rule.
The Congress, however, alleged that the health care system was found severely wanting when the Left Front government was in power but things had not changed even after the Trinamool Congress came to power.
“There can be no turnaround in the situation in the State’s health department with speeches and announcements,” Congress spokesman Abdul Mannan said, referring to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Health Minister.
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Dr. Mishra criticised the government for “throwing out” the “best people who had initiated the development of neonatal care all over the State.”
Dr. Mishra, a former Health Minister, pointed out that during the Left Front regime “advanced infrastructure” as well as “up-gradation” of facilities had taken place at BCRPGIPS.
“We (the Left Front government) provided teachers at the hospital and introduced postgraduate courses. We established the neonatal intensive care unit there,” said Dr. Mishra, adding that with the “advanced infrastructure” there was no reason why child deaths should happen there.”
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Coming down strongly on the government for not taking proper measures to prevent the child deaths at BCRPGIPS he said: “In our time also unfortunate child deaths had occurred at the hospital. But learning our lessons we deployed medical experts there and provided additional manpower.”