Muslim Doctors Make Up 6.6% in Bengal’s Medical Colleges, RTI Reveals

Speedy Summary

• Data compiled via RTI queries shows that Muslim doctors constitute only 6.6% of the workforce in nine government medical colleges in West Bengal, despite Muslims making up 27.01% of the state’s population (2011 Census).
• The breakdown reveals disparities among institutions:

– Murshidabad Medical College has 19.56% Muslim doctors, the highest.
– Purulia’s Deben Mahato Hospital has the lowest percentage at 1.82%.

• Out of roughly 1381 doctors employed across these nine medical colleges, only 91 are Muslims.
• Three major Kolkata institutions reported varying percentages: National medical College (10.66%), Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College (5.47%), and Calcutta Medical College (2.66%).
• Percentages of scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe doctor representation also lag behind their population share: scs at 13.51% and STs at just 3.16%.
• Researchers highlight challenges accessing data through RTIs; half of the hospitals contacted refused too provide responses, citing departmental directives on confidentiality.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The data underscores a notable underrepresentation of marginalized communities-including Muslims, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes-in publicly funded medical institutions in West Bengal, despite their sizeable population shares in the state as per census figures or broader demographic assessments like those cited by researchers post-Sachar Committee findings.

A lack of proportional representation may reflect deeper systemic inequities ranging across educational access barriers to societal discrimination influencing recruitment patterns within critical public service sectors like healthcare-a concern with national implications for equitable growth goals.

Moreover, institutional resistance to disclosing information through RTIs raises clarity issues about diversity metrics within taxpayer-funded infrastructure-essential for trust-building in governance processes dedicated to inclusivity reforms advocated over decades.

Read more: Published July 13, 2025 | Source from The Hindu