Nationwide doctors' strike: OPDs to be shut across Karnataka today

This comes after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a nationwide withdrawal of services to protest the growing violence against medical professionals in light of the Kolkata rape and murder incident.

Bengaluru: The outpatient department (OPD) services will be suspended and elective procedures will not be conducted in hospitals across Karnataka from 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday. 

This comes after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a nationwide withdrawal of services to protest the growing violence against medical professionals in light of the Kolkata incident. 

While doctors across hospitals will work on a roster to ensure casualty wards, emergency procedures and essential services are not hit, patient service is likely to get affected as many hospitals, especially government hospitals, see a greater number of OPD patients regularly. 

Doctors are demanding justice for the 31-year-old doctor who was murdered and raped, stronger laws and enforcement to prevent violence against healthcare workers, and improved security measures in healthcare facilities. 

The Karnataka Association for Resident Doctors (KARD) also demands training programs for hospital staff to handle volatile situations and ensure their safety. 

The Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), Karnataka, on Friday requested its 400 member hospitals and nursing homes to suspend all OPDs and elective procedures. 

A notice by PHANA read: “As healthcare providers, we condemn the growing violence against medical professionals. The Kolkata episode highlights the risks we face daily. Ensuring a safe working environment is our collective responsibility.” 

Doctors from Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) will march to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) and will then jointly march to the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) state headquarters on Chamarajpet around 10.30 am. 

Dr S Srinivasa, president, IMA Karnataka branch, said that doctors will stage a protest in front of the office before a small group of the association will submit a memorandum of demands at the DC office. 

At 11 am, doctors from the Bangalore Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BSOG), Bangalore society of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (BRCOG), several private hospitals and medical college students will gather at Freedom Park to demand for better working conditions for doctors. 

“We don’t want to inconvenience anybody but this is a problem that needs a solution. The ratio of doctors to patients in the country is already very poor and if systems are not in place to prevent such incidents, we are going to dilute and decimate this ratio even further because people will stop getting into this profession,” said Dr Prathima Reddy, Director and Lead Consultant, SPARSH Hospital for Women and Children.