Doctors concerned over poisonous bushes

SILIGURI, 8 JUNE: Expressing concern over the ‘unimpeded’ growth of the
poisonous parthenium bushes within North Bengal Medical College and Hospital,
several doctors asked the authority to take steps to weed them out.
Speaking on the matter, the former Darjeeling district chief medical officer
(health), Dr TN Chattoraj said that a worldwide debate was taking place on the
hazardous effect of the poisonous plants. “These bushes cause severe
dermatological problems to the human body. Yet, surprisingly enough, the NBMCH
compound has a superabundance of these bushes. The medical college authority
should take prompt steps to weed them out,” Dr Chattoraj demanded.
Dr SK Das, the secretary of a voluntary organization associated with NBMCH, said
that they had placed a joint weeding out proposal to the hospital authority
several times. “Yet the authority has not come out of its stupor. There is
incontrovertible medical evidence that these bushes cause eczema and other
related skin ailments. These are almost incurable. The indifference on the part
of the authority of the premier health institute of the region is simply
inexplicable,” Dr Das complained.
The president of the NBMCH Junior Doctors’ Council, Dr Bhaskar Ray, said that
his organization along with the medical college students’ union had repeatedly
drawn the attention of the authority to the parthenium menace within the
complex. “We expect more seriousness from the NBMCH authority vis-a-vis this
hazardous overgrowth,” Dr Ray said.
Sharing the concern expressed over the matter, the NBMCH principal Dr Udayan
Ganguly said they were aware of the menace. “We arrange for weeding out
programmes all year round, particularly at the onset of monsoon,” Dr Ganguly
assured. ;SNS

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