In a first, major corporate hospitals and private clinics across the city suspended out-patient (OP) services and elective surgeries on Monday. It came as a surprise given the passive response of hospital managements to IMA’s bandh call.
Earlier, private hospitals used to take advantage of bandhs and charged extra for appointment. This time, however, it was a rare display of solidarity. Managements of Yashoda Hospitals, CARE Hospitals and Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute confirmed having suspended non-essential services as mark of pledging support to IMA’s call and to express solidarity with doctors in Kolkata who were assaulted by attendants.
Representing CARE Group of Hospitals, Lt. Gen. (Dr) A.K. Das (Group Chief of Medical Services) condemned physical and verbal abuse of healthcare providers. “This is the first time after independence that all hospitals across India have shut down non-essential services. We are sorry to have caused inconvenience to patients. Doctors have protested not to harm patients, but to express their angst over attack on doctors. We have taken reasonable steps so that harm is not done to patients directly,” said Dr. B. Pratap Reddy, president of IMA-Telangana State. He added their protest is also against National Medical Council (NMC) Bill.