Mysuru:  Doctors of many private hospitals in city wore black badges and attended to patients, protesting against the proposed law that aims to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with National Medical Commission (NMC), here today. Hospitals were seen functioning normally as all the departments including Out-Patient Department (OPD) and surgery departments. Meanwhile, many cities in the country observed the 12-hour nationwide strike (6 am to 6 pm).

Dr. M.S. Vishweshwara, President, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Mysore Branch, told SOM that as they had received the communication from IMA yesterday afternoon regarding the All-India strike call, they were unprepared for a complete bandh of the functioning of the private hospitals.

“We decided to participate in the protest by wearing black badges as many patients will have sought prior appointments both in the OPD and surgery departments and we cannot abruptly cancel them. However, our support to the strike is cent percent,” he said.

However, he said that members of IMA will present a memorandum in protest against the replacement of MCI with NMC to DC D. Randeep and MP Pratap Simha at 4.30 this evening.

According to Dr. B.H. Manjunath, BJP City President, a few of the hospitals have closed the OPDs and the protest by the doctor fraternity is 100 percent because of the immense problems it would create to both the patients and doctors.

JSS Hospital, Apollo BGS Hospital, Columbia Asia Hospital, Chandrakala Hospital, Vidyaranya Hospital, Sushrutha Hospital, Cauvery Hospital, Kamakshi Hospital as also diagnostic labs and private clinics were all functioning normally.

Mandya Hospitals close

Meanwhile, opposing the NMC, most of the private hospitals including clinics in Mandya remained closed today. As a result, patients were put to a lot of inconvenience and many were found making their way to government hospital.

According to newly-appointed National President Dr. Ravi Wankhedkar, the National Medical Commission Bill (NMC) in the present form is not acceptable. It is anti-poor, anti-people, non-representative, undemocratic and anti-federal in character.

According to doctors who are observing the day as ‘Black Day’, the Bill promotes “Crosspathy” (allowing those who have studied alternate medicine to practice allopathy), eases procedures for private medical colleges and will be dominated by government.