Mysuru: Following the ongoing agitation by private medical practitioners and private hospitals against the proposed amendment to Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act, a relay hunger strike has been started at JK Grounds here by private doctors of the city. Earlier, the members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Mysore Branch, assembled at a meeting and appointed Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem as Joint Media Spokesperson for MAHAN (Mysore Association of Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Diagnostic Centres and Clinics) and IMA Mysore Branch.

Speaking to SOM Dr. Javeed Nayeem said that about 70 percent of private medical establishments have already ceased to work from today. From tomorrow, there will be a complete shutdown of all private medical facilities in city including hospitals, nursing homes, polyclinics, clinics and diagnostic centre.

However, to avoid inconvenience to patients already admitted they will be attended till they recover completely or they themselves decide to leave the hospital at their will. But, in order to avoid inconvenience to patients coming to the hospitals and nursing homes from distant places the IMA will be giving vast publicity to inform that no medical service will be available till the present agitation by the doctors is called off.

In order to ameliorate the difficulties of the patients who visit the private hospitals and nursing homes, their ambulances will be available to ferry such patients to the nearest government hospitals free of cost during the entire strike period, according to Dr. Javeed Nayeem.