Medicos to start black ribbon protest today

BENGALURU : Resident doctors and medical students across Karnataka are going on a symbolic protest from Monday, blaming the government for not listening to their demands for the last nine months.

They will wear black ribbons and put up posters at government hospitals across the state till their demands are met. They urged the government to resume non-Covid services at Victoria Hospital, as the number of Covid cases are on the decline, and said medical colleges across the state should be converted into non-Covid hospitals to benefit the public. 

Dr Dayanand Sagar, president, Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD), asked, “What will happen to thousands of non-Covid patients who are dependent on Victoria Hospital? What about the students who got admission to medical colleges this year?

They have not had practical classes for nine months.” The government should exempt them from paying tuition fees this year, they said. “Since the lockdown, postgraduates, house surgeons and undergraduates are all involved in Covid-related duties. We urge the government to exempt them from paying academic fees for 2020-21,” they added.

Majority of doctors are yet to receive Covid risk allowance, while some senior residents have not been paid in many institutes, they added. Even though medical colleges have started classes from December 1, there is a lack of clinical material, they pointed out.