BENGALURU: The 12-hour long nationwide outpatient department (OPD) closure called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday received mixed response in Karnataka. While the lesser-known hospitals and nursing homes kept their OPDs open, a few bigger hospitals had closed the OPDs and the doctors were seen only attending to the patients in the emergency departments and the in-patients.
The doctors are protesting against the National Medical Commission Bill that will be tabled in the Parliament on Monday. IMA members took out a procession from IMA house in Chamarajapet to Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner’s Office to submit a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister.
Apollo Hospitals at Sheshadripuram had its OPD doctors go on strike. But the patients were being catered to at the emergency ward with one doctor and two nurses. The appointments that were taken in advance were cancelled and a message was sent to the patients. For cases of emergency, special arrangements were made, sources said.
Mallya Hospital had total closure of its OPDs as 17 of its doctors were on leave. “OPD patients are usually follow-up patients. They were informed of the strike,” said Dr Abhishek Darade, duty doctor in the emergency ward of Mallya Hospital.
At Apollo Hospital on Bannerghatta Road, Jisha Mathew, Enquiry Desk personnel, said, “The OPD doctors are on strike. For the patients in emergency, a doctor is made available. Other patients are requested either to come after 6pm or Monday, as per their convenience.”
S K Subramanya(73), a patient said, “I did not know that the doctors were on leave. When I approached the OPD, they directed me to the emergency ward, where I was advised to come and meet the doctors on Monday. I shouldn’t have made the trip to the hospital at all.”
Dr Rashmi Sanjay, Senior Manager, Operations, Manipal Hospital, said,” At least 10 per cent of our 1,200 OPD appointments had to be rescheduled. For those who had come from outside Bengaluru, other consultants were roped in. At least one representative from each of the 60 specialties and sub-specialty OPDs are participating in the strike. For example, in the Medical OPD if there are five doctors generally, on Saturday there were three.”
Elsewhere in the state, the effect of the strike was mixed as well. While hospitals functioned normally in Davanagere, most private hospitals in Udupi had closed their OPDs and patients were told to come back on Monday. However, Kasturba hospital in Manipal was not closed as there were many patients over the weekend.