Belagavi Chalo: Doctors’ showdown against state govt on November 13
BENGALURU: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) in a meeting on Sunday gave ‘Belagavi Chalo’ call on November 13 to all its members and doctors, and medical staff. They have decided to go to Belagavi to protest outside the legislature on the first day of the winter session against the proposed amendments to Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act that will be discussed in the house.
IMA Karnataka Secretary Dr B Veeranna told Express, “We will be taking 25,000 doctors to Belagavi on the first day of the winter session to protest against the proposed amendments to Karnataka Private Medical establishments Act.”
“Patient services will go on as usual, but outpatient services may get affected as we will take many doctors along,” he said. The state-wide protests on Friday by private hospitals allegedly claimed two lives and are being investigated.
Though the hospitals had maintained that emergency cases will be treated, patients’ experiences point otherwise. In Bidar, 17-year-old Shabana Begum from Chamboli village was allegedly refused treatment at a private hospital after she was bitten by a snake and died on the way to the government-owned Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences. The local police have registered an FIR. Deputy Commissioner H R Mahadev has asked the District Health Officer to investigate the death.
Advocate dies in Ballari
30-year-old advocate, Ramanagowda, who suffered a heart attack in court in Ballari, died after he was shifted from a private hospital en route to Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences. He was from Yaradoni village near Karatagi. The staff at the private hospital did conduct an ECG (Electrocardiograph) but asked Ramanagowda’s colleagues to take him to a government hospital.