Although the strike by private doctors in protest against the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill was partially called off late on Thursday evening, the shut down of all outpatient departments (OPDs) through the day led to patients across the State running from one hospital to another seeking medical services.
While most patients who visited private hospitals returned after seeing ‘No OPD’ boards, several others directly went to government hospitals. OPDs in government hospitals saw at least 20% more patients than usual.
In Bengaluru too all government hospitals saw an increased patient load. NIMHANS director B.N. Gangadhar said the OPD in his institute saw more number of patients, many of whom did not have any neurological or psychiatric problems.
Many patients in government hospitals said they had turned up as they found other hospitals shut. “My son Jai has food poisoning since yesterday. First I went to a private hospital and then came to Jayanagar General Hospital. But I had to wait for a long time to see a doctor,” said Sharnya Gowda.
There were others such as Shalini Naik who came to know of the strike after coming to Bengaluru. “Although I knew about the doctors’ strike, I had come to the city from Dharwad a day prior to my mother’s appointment with a doctor in a private hospital. I had to take her to Victoria Hospital because of the strike,” said Ms. Naik.
This was the case with not just new patients but also with those who required regular follow-ups. “They didn’t let me see the doctor even though I had taken an appointment. I have been coming regularly for months to see the same urologist. Now, they are telling me my appointment has been rescheduled and I will be informed about the next date,” said Mahesh Tripathi, who was arguing with a guard at Sagar Hospital.
An elderly man accompanied by his daughter Seetha L. was limping out of the empty Maiya Multi Speciality Hospital. “I had been sitting here for hours because the receptionist said she would see what could be done. Now I am tired, and will go home,” he said.
Neelkanth Haseem, a young man with a shoulder injury, was turned away by Fortis hospital. “I had to sit outside the hospital for half an hour. Then I waited to regain enough strength to book myself a cab till here,” he said waiting in a line at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital.
The scene was similar in many other cities. In Mysuru, government-run K.R. Hospital had deployed all staff on duty to cope with the pressure.
In Belagavi, patient flow in the district hospital, attached to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences, increased considerably. The hospital that usually receives 1,200 outpatients a day saw 1,650 outpatients on Thursday, doctors said.
In Mandya, residents of Madarahalli vented their ire against the protesting doctors. They blocked traffic on the Mandya–Kala Muddana Doddi main road in their village.
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Deaths attributed to lack of timely medical help
Many deaths reported over the last four days in Belagavi, Ballari and Koppal districts have been attributed to non-availability of timely treatment in private hospitals because of the strike by private doctors.
According to reports, Nagaraj Sunagar, a farmer, collapsed in his field at Gollarahatti in Kudligi taluk on Thursday. Farmers in the nearby fields rushed him to a private hospital. As it was closed, they decided to take him to the government hospital at Mariyammanahalli in Hosapete taluk, but he breathed his last midway.
In Koppal, Bharmappa, an employee of Bhagyanagar Pattan Panchayat, suffered a heart attack on Wednesday night and was rushed to a private hospital. With no treatment available there, he died on the way to the district hospital in Koppal. Similar cases were reported in Belagavi district too.
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Government doctors extend moral support to private doctors
Expressing solidarity with the protesting private doctors over the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendments) Bill, the Karnataka Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) has extended its moral support to private doctors.
KGMOA president R. Ranganath told The Hindu that government doctors had risen to the occasion, taking it upon themselves to attend to the increased patient load during the last four days of the strike.
“While we will not stop work in solidarity with the private doctors, we are also of the view that the Bill has certain provisions that are detrimental to the medical profession. Hence, we are extending moral support to the private doctors,” he added.
