BENGALURU: On Thursday evening, after much deliberation, private medical associations in Bengaluru called off their strike and assured that outpatient services will be restored from Friday morning. They had decided to go on an indefinite strike till the contentious Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Amendment Bill 2017 was withdrawn.
As the death toll in the state mounted to 15 on Thursday allegedly due to unavailability of timely medical treatment, the Karnataka High Court, after hearing two public interest litigations, ordered private medical associations in Bengaluru to call off the strike and protesting doctors to get back to work.
Meanwhile Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s meeting with Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumar and top officials late on Thursday evening ended with little consensus as the minister opposed modifications in the proposed bill. But the chief minister wants to end the deadlock by slightly modifying the bill provisions, said sources in the government.
At the meeting, attended also by Law Minister D B Jayachandra and PWD Minister H C Mahadevappa, Ramesh Kumar argued that as the doctors have withdrawn the strike the government should go ahead with amendment bill without modifying it. He said this will earn the government goodwill of the people. But Siddaramaiah believed antagonising people in an election year was not practicable.
For now, Siddaramaiah is said to have decided to modify the bill after meeting representatives of private doctors on Friday, in which case a modified KPME amendment bill is likely to be tabled on Monday.
Medical associations, including Indian Medical Association (IMA), Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI) and Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Association (KPMEA) and other super-specialty medical associations had called for an indefinite strike in OPDs, labs, clinics and diagnostic services in Bengaluru.
Private healthcare services across the state have more or less shut due to the ongoing Bealgavi Chalo agitation called by doctors under the aegis of IMA.