Private doctors in Hassan, who were on a strike on Friday, said they would either leave the State to continue their profession or else give it up if the government did not withdraw the proposed bill bringing in amendments to Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act, 2007.
K. Nagesh, president, Hassan unit, Indian Medical Association, told presspersons that doctors had been staging protests against proposed amendments. “We have already staged protests many times. If the government fails to act now, the doctors will decide to either quit the profession or move out of the State,” he said.
Private doctors took out a procession from N.R. Circle to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where they submitted a memorandum opposing the amendment bill to the district administration.
Almost all private nursing homes had closed outpatient dispensaries for the day. Patients who visited these homes, unaware of the strike, had a difficult time. The inflow of patients in the government hospitals was more than on previous days. The District Health Officer had issued instructions to government doctors to be on duty without fail on the day.
