Subhas Chakraborty’s widow alleges hospital neglect

KOLKATA - Doctors at the AMRI hospital, where Marxist veteran Jyoti Basu is admitted, had slipped up in treating the late Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Subas Chakraborty who was suffering from cancer, his widow alleged Friday.

Ramala Chakraborty said that medicos in the private hospital neither formed a medical board immediately to treat her husband, the West Bengal sports and transport minister, nor conduct a CT scan soon after he was admitted.

Chakraborty was admitted to the hospital July 27 and died Aug 3.

“The doctors failed to understand the gravity of my husband’s condition. The board was formed only after three days, that too after we insisted. And the ICCU is also in shambles,” Ramala Chakraborty said after a visit to the hospital.

Basu, 95, is in the same ICCU and is also suffering from pneumonia.

“The CT scan was done only on July 31 after much persuasion from our side. And then it was detected that he had pneumonia. Till then the doctors were prescribing antibiotics based on clinical examination. They were changing medicines regularly. They were groping for the right medicine,” she told reporters.

When contacted, a senior hospital official said: “We try to provide the best possible care and treatment to the patients. All the doctors here try to save each of the patients admitted here”.

According to Ramala Chakraborty, Basu’s treatment was being done properly. “The CT scan was done immediately and pneumonia detected. His personal physician is also there. The party leaders are also monitoring constantly.”

Ramala Chakraborty, also a CPI-M leader who unsuccessfully contested by-elections to her husband’s Belgachia (East) seat last year, said her party was not to be blamed for the neglect in Chakrabroty’s treatment.

“The party was always with us in his treatment. I am not saying a single word against the party. My party is also not satisfied with my husband’s treatment. His death has been a big loss for the party also.”

But she said there were some “stray rumblings” in the CPI-M over Basu being admitted in the said hospital.

“Many partymen had reservations about this. But I am not saying there has been any neglect in Basu’s treatment. And when I went to the ICCU today, I found they had made better arrangements. I am convinced he is being treated very well. But considering his age, it will be a miracle if he comes out of the hospital completely cured.

“Moreover, one should remember there were vast differences between the conditions of Basu and my husband. My husband had cancer and had withstood 10 chemotherapy doses. But on the other hand, he was junior to Basu. He could have fought better.”

On why she or her party had not shifted Chakraborty to another hospital, Ramala said: “The doctors said he could not be moved.”

The widow said she had not made the allegations soon after he husband’s death as that would have led to violence. “Our partymen had become very emotional. Had I raised these issues then this hospital would have been ransacked. I did not want any such thing.”