Kolkata: RG Kar Medical College Mired In Fresh Scandal After Discovery Of Stained Gloves

The discovery of a pair of stained gloves at RG Kar Medical College sparked outrage and an investigation. Despite initial suspicions, lab tests have revealed the stains were "not of blood".

There seems to be no end to controversies surrounding Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. In a fresh controversy, a sealed box containing gloves with what appeared to be bloodstains was discovered in the emergency department of RG Kar Medical College, sparking outrage among junior doctors, who were already on a hunger strike in protest of the doctor's rape and murder on August 9.

The protesting doctors raised the issue during a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna. The mystery surrounding the origin of these gloves has led to some unexpected findings in the ongoing investigation.

Saptarshi Chattopadhyay, the vice-principal of RG Kar Medical College, said lab tests showed the stains on the gloves were not blood, as initially suspected, according to the biochemistry department's findings. However, to determine the nature of the stains, the samples were sent to a forensic lab.

Another key detail uncovered in the investigation is a mismatch between the batch number on the glove box and that on the glove packets. This discrepancy raises questions about how these gloves ended up in the hospital and even reached the operation theatre. Chattopadhyay said an investigation would be launched in this regard.

New Mystery Behind Pair Of Gloves Found At RG Kar Medical College

The matter first came to light on October 10 when a junior doctor reported that while examining an HIV-positive patient in the emergency ward, he opened a sealed packet of gloves and found them stained. Suspecting it to be blood, he reported the matter to the Central Medical Store, and health department officials promptly visited the hospital to investigate.

The discovery ignited protests from junior doctors and nurses alike. Ashfaqullah Naiya, a member of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Federation, said: "What is the meaning of providing used gloves instead of sterile ones? If gloves are reused, the savings go into someone’s pocket."

Nurses also voiced serious concerns, claiming that used syringes had recently appeared in hospital supplies. Following the alleged "gloves scandal" at RG Kar MCH, another controversy arose this Monday at SSKM Hospital, where a junior doctor alleged that a pair of rust-ridden surgical scissors broke during a surgical procedure. The "scissors scandal" prompted members of the WBJDF to protest.

(With inputs from ABP Ananda.)