Some of the posters that were stuck up on the walls of the district hospital in Balurghat. Picture by Ramen Mondal

Balurghat, July 9: Posters signed by a Naxalite faction warning doctors “not to be insensitive” came up on the walls of the district hospital here today, spreading panic among the medical fraternity.

The posters, allegedly put up by the CPI(ML)Liberation, also demanded better infrastructure at the hospital.

The chief medical officer of health (CMOH) of South Dinajpur, Bibhuti Bhusan Mahapatra, visited the hospital after the news of the posters spread. A huge police force headed by inspector-in-charge of Balurghat police station Dhiman Sarkar, and district intelligence branch (DIB) officials, also made a recce before tearing off the posters.

The posters read that doctors attached to the hospital should not charge more than Rs 50 while attending to patients privately, sufficient lifesaving drugs should be there at a given time in the hospital and a personal attendant should be allowed for each patient.

Another demand was that eye surgeon and district president of the CPM-affiliated Association of Health Services Doctors Paritosh Biswas be transferred.

The faction has also warned that the hospital should not take more than seven days to fix a date of surgery.

According to the hospital sources, the Naxalite faction had recently sent anonymous threat letters addressed to some doctors, including Dr Biswas.

The police said the CPI (ML) Liberation had taken advantage of the shortage of policemen in the camp on the hospital campus and put up the posters last night.

The posters, however, have managed to mobilise public opinion against the existing health system. “The demands are genuine and justified and all of us want discipline to be enforced in the hospital,” said Samir Sarkar, who had come from Tapan, to see his mother admitted to the cardiac department.

Even the political parties with divergent ideologies have come out in support of the demands.

District committee secretary of the Trinamul Congress Debasish Majumder said: “Whoever has put up the posters, the demands are genuine and indisputable. We also had submitted a memorandum with similar demands to the hospital superintendent recently.”

Majumder questioned how eye specialist, Dr Biswas, could continue to stay in the hospital for over 25 years at a stretch. People like Biswas have crippled the hospital administration, he alleged.

Health karmadhaksha of the zilla parishad and RSP leader Zallur Rahman said neither the CMOH nor the hospital superintendent had reported the matter to him.

“But I do agree that the demands are justified.”

District superintendent of police Swapan Banerjee Purnapatra said he had already asked the district intelligence branch to inquire into the incident and submit him a report.