'Assault on diversity': Kerala CM slams Delhi hospital circular on Malayalam
Premium- The chief minister said Malayalam is one of the official languages of India which has a classical language status
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday slammed Delhi-run GB Pant Hospital for issuing a controversial circular barring the use of Malayalam language by its nursing staff at work. He called the circular an "assault on our diversity". However, the chief minister lauded the hospital authorities for withdrawing the circular following criticism from various sections of the society.
The chief minister said Malayalam is one of the official languages of India which has a classical language status. "Although it was a delayed decision, the authorities did a commendable job by withdrawing the circular which was against the cultural and democratic set up of our country," Vijayan wrote on his Facebook page.
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The chief minister praised officials of Pant hospital for taking corrective measures by revoking the circular. He said it was "unacceptable for a civilised society to divide the employees on the basis of language and culture".
According to PTI, the Delhi health department has issued a memo to the hospital (Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research or GIPMER) in connection with the controversial circular.
The news agency also reports that according to the circular issued by the hospital, a complaint had been received regarding Malayalam language being used for communication in working places in GIPMER. It stated that maximum patients and colleagues do not know the language and feel helpless causing a lot of inconvenience, the report said.
It was in this backdrop the order was issued directing all nursing personnel to use only Hindi and English for communication. However, the circular drew flak from the medical fraternity, political leaders and the public.
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