The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has threatened to shut the outpatient departments (OPD) of all hospitals if the Karnataka government fails to arrest within two days the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists responsible for assaulting a doctor at Minto Hospital in Bengaluru.
An FIR was registered against unknown members of the group at VV Puram Police Station based on a complaint filed by the dean of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), Dr HS Satish.
"We do not want to shut down services without giving them time. On Wednesday and Thursday, we will wear black badges in a symbolic protest. If the issue is not resolved, we will stop OPD services at all hospitals in the state," Satish was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
He said when the government is providing medical seats to students from All India quota, it is unfair to expect the students to learn the local language immediately.
What is the issue about?
An argument had broken out between the pro-Kannada activists and a post-graduate student from Kerala at Minto Ophthalmic Hospital in Chamrajpet on November 1, during Karnataka Rajyotsava. The activists demanded the doctor to respond in Kannada to their demand for compensation to patients blinded during a cataract camp, to which she refused.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike was supporting a protest held by the people who lost eyesight due to the surgeries following cataract surgery at the hospital. 24 patients developed severe reactions following the surgery and two of the patients lost their eyesight.
The cataract surgery was held in July and the patients had demanded compensation from the government. Their demands were rejected, after which they approached the pro-Kannada outfit for help. According to reports, a gel used in the surgery was found to be contaminated which led to the reactions and blindness. The Drugs Controller Department had begun an investigation into the incident.
The doctors of Minto Hospital and BMCRI students have been holding a protest against members of KRV for the assault on the doctor. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Wednesday (November 6) met the doctors and asked them to withdraw the protest. He has promised to take action in the matter.
Police have filed an FIR against the unknown activists under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult), 149 (unlawful assembly), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).
