Mamata Govt Appoints Kaustav Nayak As Director Of Institute Of Health & Family Welfare

Mamata Banerjee-led government appointed Kaustav Nayak as the Director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare following her talks with the protesting doctors on Monday.

Kolkata doctor rape-murder: The Mamata Banerjee-led government on Tuesday appointed Kaustav Nayak as the new Director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare. He previously held the post of the Director of Medical Education in West Bengal. The decision was announced in view of the talks held with the protesting doctors on Monday regarding the RG Kar impasse.

Earlier today, the Bengal government also removed Vineet Goyal from the post of Kolkata Police Commissioner, as requested by the agitating medics. He has now been replaced by IPS Manoj Kumar Verma. 

Besides agreeing to making changes in the police leadership, the state had also announced the removal of two senior health officials. These included Director of Medical Education Kaustav Nayak and Director of Health Services Debashis Halder.

Halder has also been transferred from his post. He has now been appointed as OSD, Public Health at Swasthya Bhawan. 

The notification by Department of Health and Family Welfare, West Bengal, noted that the new DME shall be appointed subsequently.

Nayak, a paediatrician and principal of state-run Burdwan Medical College Hospital in Kolkata, was appointed by the Bengal health department as the Director of Medical Education (DME) in March 2024.

After a meeting with the protesting doctors following days of deadlock, Mamata Banerjee announced on Monday night that now former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, Kolkata (north division) Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Gupta, and two senior health officials Nayak and Halder, would be removed from their respective posts. 

As she yielded to the doctors' demands, she also requested them to withdraw the cease-work and return to their duties. She also said that there will be "no punitive action" against the protestors.

Doctors have been on strike for for over a month now, demanding justice for the Kolkata doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hopsital. This impacted the healthcare services in the state. It remains unclear when the protesting medics will call-off their strike, as they are insist on having all their demands met by the state.