Kolkata: The state health department has appointed a full-time director of medical educationafter close to eight months. Indrajit Saha, the principal of North Bengal Medical College, was appointed as the new DME via an official order on Thursday. Aniruddha Neogi, OSD and special secretary, was officiating as the DME after the govt transferred former DME Kaustav Nayek on Sept 17, as demanded by junior doctors during the RG Kar agitation.Nayek is now the director at the Institute of Health and Family Welfare.Sources said that Saha is the most senior in terms of administrative experience among all the applicants for this post. While around 13 applied, including two principals of medical colleges in Kolkata, the panel chose Saha due to his seniority, sources said. The appointment procedure, however, took unusually longer, and sources said this was to avoid any unnecessary controversy from any quarter. Saha is likely to take charge in the next two to three days.On April 21, the govt officially appointed Swapen Saren as director of health services. Saren was officiating as the DHS since the removal of the previous DHS, Debashis Halder, who took charge only a couple of days before the RG Kar rape-murder.