RG Kar National College and Hospital nestled at the heart of Kolkata, West Bengal, has been in news since the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor who was employed with the hospital.
The incident shook the nation’s conscience pertaining to women and workplace safety, unfavourable working condition of doctors and capital punishment for rapists.
For nearly 21 days, all these above-mentioned topics have been the focal point of discussion in mainstream media.
However, another issue, though reported, failed to create much ripples. Maybe because it was already expected!
The erstwhile principal of the RG Kar hospital Sandip Ghosh is being quizzed by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday for the 14th consecutive day.
Ghosh is being probed for his alleged involvement in the rape and murder of the RG Kar victim.
Besides the gruesome crime, the ex-principal is also under the CBI’s lens for the financial irregularities, which took place in the state-run hospital.
The sleuths have already registered an FIR (first information report) against him and other entities.
The complaint lodged by the former deputy superintendent of RG Kar, Akhtar Ali, also accused the former principal Ghosh of being involved in selling unclaimed bodies and biomedical waste.
Hospitals are the central points in people’s lives; known for providing essential service (healthcare) to those in need, thereby leading to society’s well-being.
While the allegations brought against Dr Ghosh are still being probed, when such complaints of fraud surface against a doctor, it erodes the trust, which a patient reposes on one's doctor.
Even worse, reportedly, Ghosh carried out this fraud in the hospital, which he used to head— a hospital which is named after a distinguished physician and dramatist Dr Radha Gobinda Kar, who was born near Howrah district of West Bengal.
Strikingly, a fortnight before Dr RG Kar's birth anniversary — he was born on August 23, 1852 — a heinous crime was reported from the hospital, which came into existence because of Dr Kar’s dream to serve the underpriviledged and poor.
Who was Radha Gobinda (RG) Kar?
RG Kar hailed from a family of esteemed medical professionals, including his father, Dr Durgadas Kar, who established Midford Hospital in Dhaka, and his brother, Radhamadhor Kar, who too was a distinguished physician and dramatist.
Dr Kar initially enrolled at Kolkata Medical College, but his studies were temporarily interrupted. He resumed in 1880, graduated in 1883, and later pursued advanced studies in England, earning his MRCP from Edinburgh University in 1887.
His patriotism led him to risk his life during the severe epidemics that plagued Bengal. In 1899, as Kolkata faced a devastating plague epidemic, Dr Kar worked tirelessly alongside Sister Nivedita, an Irishwoman inspired by Swami Vivekananda, providing medical care to the afflicted.
Recognising the need for medical literature in Bengali, Dr Kar began writing medical books in his native language to make education more accessible to Bengali students.
What led to the inception of RG Kar hospital?
Driven by his commitment to serve his country and establishing a National Medical Institution for the Indian public, particularly the underprivileged, Dr RG Kar returned to India after completing his studies from England.
Dr Kar faced significant challenges in securing land and raising funds to fulfil his dream. He personally took on the task, going door-to-door among Kolkata’s wealthy and even resorting to begging in the streets.
He raised enough money by selling all his possessions to purchase twelve bighas (four acres) of land in Belgachia for twenty-five thousand rupees, where he built a large hospital costing seventy thousand rupees.
The original facility had thirty beds and is now globally recognised as RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
On 18 October 1887, Dr Kar convened a meeting with prominent Kolkata doctors, including Dr Akshay Kumar Dutt, Dr Mahendra Nath Bannerjee, Dr Bipin Bihari Maitra, Dr ML Dey, Dr BG Bannerjee and Dr Kundal Bhattacharya.
Recognising the need for a dedicated Indian hospital and educational institution, Dr Kar was entrusted with this monumental task.
He chose to work directly in underserved areas like Shyambazar, Belgachia and Dumdum, often travelling by bicycle to treat patients and covering expenses for those unable to afford care.
Dr Kar’s dedication led to the inception of Kolkata Medical School, in Baithakkhana Bazar Road. This was shifted to Bowbazar Street renaming it as the Calcutta Medical School in August 1887, it merged in 1904 with another institution to become the Calcutta Medical School and College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bengal.
The hospital was later renamed Albert Victor Hospital following a donation from Prince Albert Victor.
By 1914, after gaining approval from Calcutta University, it became Belgachia Medical College, which was later renamed Carmichael Medical College in honour of Lord Carmichael.
After India’s Independence in 1948, the institution was renamed RG Kar Medical College by Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, then chief minister of West Bengal, in recognition of its founder.
When Dr RG Kar was 66, he passed away owing to influenza in 1918, after devoting much of his wealth to the medical college.
The institution since then has faced its fair share of controversies and challenges, which has stained the legacy of the RG Kar Medical Collge and Hospital.
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