THE INAUGURATION of the multi-specialty hospital at IIT-Kharagpur was removed at the last minute from the prime minister’s summons calendar following a letter from alumni who opposed changing the name of the hospital, originally dedicated to the former prime minister of West Bengal, Dr. BC Roy, in honor of the founder of Jan Sangh. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, has learned The Indian Express.
When contacted, the Registrar of the Tamal Nath Institute said: “The inauguration was postponed for some technical reasons” When asked to explain the technical reasons, he said: “I am not aware of that at this time.”
Sources said the government asked IIT-Kharagpur to clarify whether the hospital had changed its name, following a letter of protest from a group of former students. The inauguration was shelved once the institute recognized the change in nomenclature.
There are two medical facilities at IIT-Kharagpur named after Dr. BC Roy. The institute’s medical center (called BC Roy Technology Hospital), dedicated to treatment staff, students, and the newly built multi-specialty hospital. While the former has been around for decades, the idea for the hospital was conceived in 2006. The foundation stone was laid in 2007 by then-President APJ Abdul Kalam. The institute had created a company to run the hospital.
“The original plan was to eventually merge the medical center with the hospital. That, however, did not happen as the staff employed at the medical center did not want to work for a company. Since the merger was ruled out, it was considered that the medical center and the hospital should have different names. The institute then submitted a proposal to change the name of the hospital after Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the Board of Governors approved it in December last year, “said an institute source.
The move was announced this month when director VK Tewar posted on Facebook plans for the prime minister to inaugurate the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research ahead of his convening speech.
While the building’s opening has been postponed, the name change has already been done, The Indian Express learned. It turns out that the institute has completed the process with the Business Registry aimed at changing the name of the company that IIT-Kharagpur had created to run the hospital.
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