Overview
- A late-night sweep by health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam found senior doctors and support staff missing from emergency wards despite being on duty rosters at several government-run medical colleges.
- Officials said showcause notices are likely after the checks at Calcutta National, NRS, Medical College Kolkata and RG Kar, where absences were recorded in critical care areas.
- Nigam supplied two ambulances to each visited hospital and ordered that all referred patients be transported in these vehicles so families do not have to pay for private ambulances.
- In a formal letter to police commissioner Ajay Nand, the health department asked Kolkata Police to map security gaps on hospital campuses, target touts and remove illegal parking, with the review due by May 20.
- Doctors and officials say missing senior specialists at night shifts push complex cases onto postgraduate trainees and contribute to patient refusals and touts who promise beds or faster tests for cash.