Medical board to monitor Trinamool leader Madan Mitra's health at SSKM

Kolkata: What exactly ails Madan Mitra continues to be a riddle as the doctors treating the Trinamool leader themselves are not yet clear about Mitra's ailment. But what is clear is that Mitra will be continue to be in the hospital even on the day Bhawanipore constituency goes to the polls on Saturday. With the battery of investigative tests suggested by doctors Madan is likely to be in hospital at least for a week for now.
It could be coincident but Mitra has been admitted in the SSKM Hospital three days ahead of Bhawanipore going to the polls. Though he is not a candidate from the constituency, it is his home turf literally as he is a resident of Bhawanipore from where Mamata Banerjee is contesting. No doubt that the timing of his hospital admission has raised eyebrows especially in the rival camps.
Last Sunday too Mitra had complained of respiratory distress and chest pain for which a medical team from SSKM was called in by the prison authority. But the attempts of getting admitted in the hospital a day before Kamahati was to go to polls was aborted when doctors that Mitra did not need hospital administration
Sources said that Sunday being a holiday most senior doctors (faculty) were on leave, leaving the job of attending Mitra to relatively junior doctors who did not want to take the responsibility of getting him admitted with the election commission watching every move of Madan Mitra.
But on Tuesday when Mitra was brought to SSKM senior doctors were there to take a call. By Wednesday a seven member medical board was constituted to monitor Mitra's condition. However doctors in the board however are tight lipped on their findings regarding Mitra's condition. Chaired by Dr Shibananda Dutta, cardiology head, the board has advised a number of tests. Others in the medical board include Dr Rajendra Pandey, nephrology head, Dr Subhankar Chowdhury, endocrinology head, a psychiatrist, specialists in medicine, chest and one more cardiologist.
"The seven member medical board will decide on the line of treatment. For now it has advised some investigative tests. The board will take a call on the next course of action according to the test results. Till then he will be under observation," said Dr Manju Banerjee, director, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER).
Initially Mitra was brought in with complaints of chest pain and respiratory problem. On Wednesday he started complaining of abdomen pain because of which a gastroenterologist was also roped in.
"With a hosts of tests advised by the board, it will take at least a week for all results to come in. Therefore the Madan Mitra could be in the hospital well for more than a week," said a doctor.
Though no political leader came calling on Mitra in the hospital on Wednesday Nirmal Majhi was seen in SSKM in the afternoon. The TMC candidate from Uluberia sat with the hospital administration for almost half an hour before he left the hospital around 3.45 pm.
"I have come to see a patient admitted here, The patient is from Uluberia my constituency," Majhi told TOI while leaving the hospital.
After hospital administration came under scanner after Mitra's supporters allegedly swarmed the hospital campus on Tuesday evening, on Wednesday security was tightened in the cardiology block. Mitra supporters trickled in more discreetly. Though none were not allowed to enter the cardiology building, many were seen hanging around.