Abhishek Banerjee (File photo)
NEW DELHI: A West Bengal BJP leader on Wednesday lodged a police complaint against Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and several others, alleging large-scale irregularities in the implementation of the “Sebaashray” programme.The initiative is Abhishek Banerjee’s flagship healthcare outreach scheme in South 24 Parganas district, which includes his Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.Abhijit Das, the complainant, accused the organisers of violating medical norms, engaging unqualified practitioners, misusing diagnostic equipment and artificially inflating attendance at the camps. The complaint names Abhishek Banerjee, his close aide Sumit Roy, Ayan Ghosh Dastidar, local elected representatives, and doctors associated with “Sebaashray.” Speaking to reporters, Das alleged that “quacks and homoeopathy practitioners” were engaged to provide allopathic treatment at some of the camps.According to the complainant, several prescriptions issued during the programme lacked basic details, including the diagnosis and the registration numbers of the attending doctors.Displaying a copy of one such prescription, Das alleged that while it mentioned the patient’s name and age, it did not specify the ailment and merely stated, “referred to hospital”. The BJP leader also said that diagnostic equipment, including ultrasonography machines, was used without obtaining the mandatory permissions required under the applicable regulations.He further stated that local residents were pressured to attend the camps to boost footfall and project the initiative as a success.He also questioned the quality and expiry status of medicines distributed during the programme, adding that these concerns had been highlighted in the complaint.A copy of the complaint has also been sent to the superintendent of police of Diamond Harbour Police District, he added.Das further alleged that patients were referred for expensive diagnostic tests such as MRI and CT scans, which are not covered under the state’s Swasthya Sathi health insurance scheme.(With agency inputs)
