Hundreds of post graduate students and resident doctors of BMCRI stage a protest in front of the state run Min... Read More

BENGALURU: Outpatient departments (OPDs) in hospitals associated with Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute ( BMCRI ) remained shut on Saturday as junior doctors staged a protest condemning the assault on a postgraduate medico in the government-run Minto Hospital , allegedly by members of a pro-Kannada outfit.

The junior doctors’ association called for an OPD bandh in all hospitals associated with BMCRI, including Victoria, PMSSY, Minto and Vanivilas.

“Till 12 pm, doctors were able to attend to OPD patients. After that, the junior doctors started protesting and the service had to be closed. However, all emergency cases were treated. We made sure patients are not inconvenienced,” said Dr Sujata Rathod, director, Minto Hospital.

Trouble began on Friday, when a group of men and women from a pro-Kannada outfit barged into the hospital and targeted a PG student pursing MD in ophthalmology . “They asked the medico where the other doctors were, along with other irrelevant questions. They restricted her movement, behaving inappropriately. The group also assaulted another doctor who was recording the entire episode. This is nothing but hooliganism, which we won’t tolerate. The woman leading the group should be arrested,” said a member of the junior doctors’ association.

Officials in the medical education department link the frequent visits of certain Kannada activists to the drug reaction incident witnessed at the hospital earlier. Over 22 patients who had undergone cataract surgeries in July 2019 had faced drug reaction at Minto Hospital. Detailed lab tests had proved the presence of pseudomonas bacteria in a drug called Occugel, that was used on patients post-operation. While some of the worst-affected patients have been seeking compensation, the government has filed a case against the drug manufacturer.

“If any compensation has to be paid, it should come from the manufacturing company. The Kannada activists are misleading the patients’ families and are barging into Minto Hospital targeting junior doctors. The dean has filed a police complaint against the activists who have assaulted our doctors. We demand the drug manufacturer and activists be arrested,” said Dr PG Girish, director of medical education. He added the department is backing the protesting doctors and OPDs will remain shut till the assailants are arrested.

Dr Girish said junior doctors are protesting for all the right reasons. “At this rate, doctors will move away from government hospitals, which would be a scary trend,” he told TOI .

VV Puram police said they have registered a case under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation). But police said they haven’t added the sections under Karnataka Prohibition of Violence against Medicare Service Personnel and Damage to Property in Medicare Service Institutions Act. The accused have been named as Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists.

Assaulted doc well-versed in Kannada

The woman doctor who was assaulted on Friday was targeted for not responding to the activists in Kannada. But she’s well-versed in the language, said a doctor. Shocked by the development, her parents rushed to Bengaluru. “Every doctor studying and working in Karnataka learns Kannada by default. We don’t have to take lessons from these so-called activists,” a junior doctor said.

