Staff of govt hospitals, PHCs to go on strike from today

All medical services including emergencies will be shut down in government hospitals coming under the Health and Family Welfare department on Friday.

Hospitals like KC General, Ghousia Hospital, KR Puram , Jayanagar, Yelahanka General Hospital, etc in the City, all public health centres, district and taluk hospitals across the State will close down  indefinitely.

The shutdown has been called by the members of the Karnataka Government Health Department Officers’ and Employees’ Welfare Association demanding the government to hand over 10 district hospitals back to the Health and Family Welfare department.

Over 65,000 members of the Association including doctors, nurses, paramedic staff and other Group ‘D’ workers are demanding timely payment of salaries and changes in transfer policies.

KC General Hospital receives nearly 20 emergency and nearly 700 OPD cases everyday. Jayanagar General Hospital receives 15 emergency cases and around 500 OPD cases.

Dr H N Ravindra, president of the Association said repeated protests and strikes have not yielded any results. “We are fed up of assurances of government and have taken the extreme step of closing down even emergency services in hospitals.

A Cabinet sub-committee was formed to address the issues, but the medical education minister did not turn up for the meeting. We want all the hospital attached to the medical colleges to be given back to the health department immediately,” he added.

The 10 medical colleges’ hospitals include teaching hospitals under Bangalore Medical College, Shimoga, Mysore, Hubli, Belgaum, Bellary, Mandya, Hassan, Raichur and Bidar. The medical education department had taken over these hospitals in 2006 which deprived doctors from Health Department of promotion opportunities.

M Madan Gopal, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, said that the government had instructed all district magistrates and commissioners of police to invoke Section 3(2) of the National Security Act as the protest is likely to affect essential health services throughout the State.  The  government is contemplating introducing Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1994 .

Vacancies

Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas told the Assembly on Thursday that there were 1,810 vacancies of nurses and paramedical staff.

The Karnataka Examination Authority had scheduled its examinations on February 10, after which the recruitment procedure would be initiated, he added.