On the 172nd birth anniversary of Dr. Radha Gobinda Kar, founder of the Calcutta School of Medicine (now RG Kar Medical College and Hospital), his descendants expressed “hopelessness” over the “minimal progress” in state-run healthcare facilities, which continue to fail young doctors.
Speaking to PTI, the fourth generation of Dr. Kar’s descendants, residing in the same house in Howrah where he was born on August 23, 1852, shared their heartbreak over the lack of improvement in security and facilities for budding doctors, a mission Dr. Kar had pursued amid significant challenges 138 years ago.
The family suggested that the decision to resume work should be left to the “conscience” of the agitating junior doctors, who have valid reasons for their strike, which has crippled public healthcare in West Bengal for two weeks.
They also criticized the state government for failing to instill confidence among the protesting doctors, despite appeals from the Supreme Court and repeated requests from the state health department.
“I feel hopeless at the ongoing lack of facilities for our doctors in government hospitals, even after nearly eight decades of Independence. Such atrocities have occurred before, and sadly, we will likely hear of more in the future. RG Kar aimed to produce quality doctors to combat widespread diseases of his time, but we have failed to honor his legacy,” said Partha Kar, a photographer and teacher.
Gargi, Partha’s wife, added, “I shudder to think that what happened to the victim could also have happened to my daughter. Her eyes were oozing blood, not tears.”
Expressing shock and anguish over the horrific crime at the hospital, the 30 members of the Kar household participated in the ‘Reclaim the Night’ protests on Independence Day eve.
Partha mentioned that at least three family members are alumni of RG Kar Medical College and that he had never heard students and interns complain of such glaring security lapses before.
“I see nothing wrong in the junior doctors’ protests. They are simply demanding personal security, which is essential as the hospital is their second home. I leave it to their conscience to decide their next steps,” he said.
Dr. Radha Gobinda Kar received his medical degree from Edinburgh in 1883 after studying at Calcutta Medical College. Upon his return to Calcutta, he dedicated himself to treating poor patients for free and committed to building a medical school to address the shortage of native doctors.
With determination and persistence, Dr. Kar realized his vision of establishing a medical school with modern scientific knowledge, even standing outside wealthy weddings to pitch his vision and request donations for the hospital’s construction.
This vision became a reality on October 18, 1886, when, with assistance from leading Indian doctors, Dr. Kar founded the Calcutta School of Medicine—the first private medical college in Asia. The institution was renamed RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in 1918, in his honor.
Gargi Kar emphasized that “justice for the victim can only come when both the perpetrators and those responsible for altering evidence are appropriately punished.”
On RG Kar’s birth anniversary, the family expressed their wish for the state government to adopt a more empathetic approach to hospital management, saying, “The government has failed to instill confidence in the agitating doctors because it has not truly tried to understand their perspective, relying instead on top-down orders. This attitude must change.”
Source: PTI
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