Fresh MBBS batch of Calcutta Medical College read out Charak Shapath

First-year students of Medical College Hospital in Kolkata read out the ‘Charak Shapath’ during their induction and this has triggered a controversy in the state.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) have engaged in a war of words after the first-year students of 187-year-old Medical College Hospital in Kolkata readout Charak Shapath instead of the Hippocratic oath during their induction.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently suggested replacing the Hippocratic oath with the Charak Sharath during the graduation ceremony of doctors. The Hippocratic oath is an ethical code for fresh medical graduates that are believed to be written by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. For ages, the Hippocratic oath was being taken during the convocation ceremony as a guide to conduct medical practice. However, Charak Shapath has an Indian origin and it is mentioned in the Charak Samhita which is a comprehensive text on ancient Indian medicine authored by Charaka who was among the early experts in Ayurveda.

Principal of the Calcutta Medical College Dr Raghunath Mishra said, “The students would take the Hippocratic oath when they join as interns. As the Charak Shapath was a suggestion of the NMC, the students read it out during the induction. This is not an attempt to replace the Hippocratic oath,” as reported by Hindustan Times.

Charak Shapath: BJP, Trinamool Congress engage in a war of words

The incident has created a controversy in West Bengal. 

An organisation of doctors and the Democratic Students Organisation (DSO) unit of Calcutta Medical College has threatened to launch a protest against the Charak Shapath and the members have submitted a deputation to the college principal.

All-India DSO Medical unit spokesperson Dr Soumyadip Roy said “We are stunned. How could this happen in a premier medical college of the country?”

“BJP leaders worship Nathuram Godse and VD Savarkar. We don’t want to learn nationalism from them. I spoke with the director of medical education in the state. He said it happened without his knowledge,” said Santanu Sen, TMC MP.

BJP vice president in West Bengal Sukanta Majumdar said: “Where does one find communalism in the Charak Shapath? Actually, 1000 years of slavery has prompted our Left-minded historians to think that whatever is foreign is good.”

Read more:

• New MBBS batch of GMCH, Chandigarh, took Charak Shapath
• Oath taking is important rather than any depiction of specification, says Mansukh Mandaviya