Bengaluru, Nov 3: Over 1,700 surgeons working in government and private hospitals across Karnataka have abstained from work on Friday in support of the 24-hour medical services bandh called by the Indian Medical Association, Karnataka State Branch (IMA-KSB).
The IMA-KSB is opposing the State government’s move to amend the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act, to regulate private hospitals.
In a release, the Karnataka State Chapter-Association of Surgeons of India (KSC-ASI) stated that the amendment to the Act is ‘dictatorial’ and will affect every medical practitioner. The State government is likely to table the Amendment to the Act in the ensuing Legislative session, it said. “We will not provide healthcare services on Friday,” said T. Durganna, chairman of KSC-ASI.
Friday's strike by private hospital doctors has drawn the ire of several groups as well, including consumer rights groups.
Consumer groups spread across Karnataka, have issued a statement opposing the strike. “In a democracy, everybody has a right to protest. But what form should the doctors’ protests take is the question. Patients are also consumers and when they go to them, denial of services is a serious offence. Doctors can protest in any way apart from denial of services,” said Y.G. Muralidharan, member, Central Consumer Protection Council.
Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali, a group of health activists, have also condemned the protests.
“The private hospitals have continued with their misinformation campaign deliberately twisting and misrepresenting various provisions in the Amendments to suit their profiteering interests. The Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Bill, 2017, contains several citizen-centric provisions, while also ensuring adequate space for private hospitals to have their say particularly in regulation of costs and grievance redressal. Therefore, the intense and vitriolic opposition to the Bill by the private and corporate hospitals is unjustified and painting it as ‘draconian’ is not only a gross misrepresentation but also betrays their own malafide intentions of subverting a progressive legislation,” they said in a statement.
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