OPD services hit, KRV denies attack claim

It was around peak hour that hundreds of PG students and doctors withdrew from the OPD of Victoria, Vani Vilas, Minto hospitals and the trauma care centre attached to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.

As confusion prevailed among the protesters over which services would be called off, a few patients were denied medical services.

At the trauma centre, guards turned patients away, saying doctors were not available while considering only emergency cases.

“I’ve been waiting to consult a doctor for nearly an hour to get treatment for my leg injury. I have come from Magadi and can’t return tomorrow since travel aggravates the pain,” said Nagalakshmi (name changed), a patient.

Responding to the allegations, Ashwini Gowda, head of Kannada Rakshana Vedike’s women’s wing, refuted claims that doctors were attacked. She released a video on Saturday to clarify the allegations.

Explaining what transpired at the OPD, she said the group went to the Minto hospital to speak to the doctor in-charge and the PG students refused to help her out.

“One of the junior doctors spoke to us in English. She had the audacity to say that she knew Kannada but chose not to speak the language. Patients accompanying us did not understand what was being said,” Ashwini explained.

She said Kannada Rakshana Vedike is an organisation with values and does not condone violence.