Claims made by the son of Nihar Thakur unfounded, Dr. Rajdeep Roy responds

August 9: Senior BJP leader and former Chairman of SMB, Niharendra Narayan Tagore (86) along with his wife and 9-year-old grandson were tested positive in Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on 7 August, 2020, following which they were admitted at Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH). They were accommodated in Cabin No.12 of SMCH. However, on 9 August, Nripendra Tagore, the son of Niharendra Narayan Tagore in a Facebook post alleged that his octogenarian father was in a pathetic condition at SMCH. He also tagged District Administration Cachar in his post requesting kind intervention.

Reacting to the statement of Mr. Nripendra Tagore, Silchar MP Dr. Rajdeep Roy regarded the claim made in social media as unfounded. Dr. Roy said, “Nripendra Tagore sent me the same message which he posted in social media at 4.33 PM on Sunday. I informed him that I had a talk with the SMCH authorities and made provision of delivering him food from his home. I even informed him that there were some issues regarding shortage of cleaners at SMCH, but now this has been solved as 20 new cleaners were recruited by district administration today. Nripendra then also thanked me for taking these initiatives. It was indeed strange to learn from a news item in way2barak that on Sunday evening, he has made a social media post highlighting the same issues which I had already solved and for which he too offered me thanks!”

MP Silchar further said that, “Yesterday, Kaku (Niharendra Narayan Tagore) called me up to say that he was comfortable and have been allotted a room as per my request. He too thanked me. Doctor went to his cabin and enquired about the food served to them, their health condition and all other things, to which he himself replied that everything was fine. He not even for once made an inch of grievance which were alleged by his son in social media.”

Dr.Roy said that such kind of unfounded social media claim paints a negative picture of SMCH and its team of dedicated doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and others involved during this health crisis. “Such type of claims demoralises the medical fraternity who are tirelessly working 24×7 in providing treatment to the Covid patients,” said Dr. Rajdeep Roy. He further took a dig at social media activism and said that if there are any problems, then the Principal, Superintendent, doctors of SMCH can be contacted at any moment. They are ready to offer service to the patients. A Facebook post cannot mitigate anybody’s problem. This has now become a common phenomenon to take to social media instead of approaching the appropriate authority.

Even a convict of a murder case is being provided treatment at SMCH. A patient is a patient, whosoever he/she may be. The doctors never do any differentiation. When this is the state of affairs, any unfounded social media statement is definitely going to pull down the morale of the health professionals, said Dr. Roy.

On a broader perspective, MP Silchar said that a class of people, especially the higher middle class never ever goes to SMCH for treatment in normal times. This upper middle class and upper class are now forced to go there and naturally everything will not be palatable to them. He added that such issues are not anything new and rather bothered SMCH since ages. The same doctor(s) when treats a patient at SMCH, he/she is labelled as “not good”, but when a patient goes to the same doctor(s) at any private clinic/ nursing home, he is praised as “very good.” Dr. Roy said, “This is indeed a matter of irony. I appeal to all to realise the hardships undertaken by the health professionals providing service to the patients wearing PPE kit at a time when the temperature is hot and humid. We should encourage them so that they could get inspired and do the duty to their heart’s content instead of demoralising them by unfounded social media posts.”