Mangaluru : Doctors, para medical professionals stage huge protest

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, May 22, 2017 : Hundreds of doctors, medical students and para medical professionals who are on a protest on May 22, Monday across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts opposing the recent assault and kidnap of a doctor at a private hospital at Derlakatte, took out a protest march from Ambedkar Circle to Nehru Maidan. Medical services across various hospitals have come to a halt today except for emergency services and ICU.

Addressing the protestors, Dr Raghavendra Bhat, President of Mangaluru Chapter of Indian Medical Association said though a law framed in 2009 makes  attacks on doctors a non-bailable offence, so far no one has been punished under this law.

Launching a tirade against the politicians, he said politicians who ask doctors to take care of patients with empathy at the same time do not speak when such assaults take place on doctors. Such incidents do not allow us to work without any sense of fear, he said and wanted to know why only eight have been arrested  in the Derlakatte incident.

 Dr Shantharam Shetty, Pro-Chancellor of Nitte University, who also spoke said this was the first time that doctors have come together for a common cause, in such large numbers. 

A memorandum was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner seeking early probe into the Derlakatte case and also steps to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Several doctors and representatives from various hospitals took part in the protest.