Belagavi/Bengaluru: In a huge relief for thousands of patients across the state, who have been deprived of treatment over the last few days, private doctors on strike were able to arrive at an understanding with the government on the Bill to regulate their services at their crucial meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Belagavi on Friday.
Emerging from the four-hour brainstorming session, the Chief Minister told reporters here that a modified Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill would be introduced in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, incorporating the changes suggested by the agitating doctors.
“The doctors are satisfied with the modifications to be made to the Bill, which the government has decided to introduce in the larger interest of the medical fraternity and the common man,” he said.
While Mr Siddaramaiah claimed the doctors had agreed to call off agitation, the IMA was more cautious. Unlike the CM, who had no hesitation saying, "I will tell you on behalf of doctors that they agreed to withdraw their hunger strike at the meeting," IMA, Karnataka chapter president, Dr Ravindranath, who was present at the press conference, was more hesitant, saying he would take a final call on withdrawing the agitation after holding a meeting with association members. Though the CM did not disclose the changes being made to the Bill, Dr H. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospitals, later revealed that the government had agreed to remove the imprisonment clause for doctors violating the provisions of the new law and have the grievance redressal committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner with doctors and various women representatives as members and refer any case of clinical negligence to the Karnataka Medical Council, which was already handling such cases. "It has also been decided to introduce a clause on cases filed by the people to harass doctors. Overall, it was an amicable meeting and IMA Karnataka will be resuming work from Saturday," he said. Meanwhile, explaining the government's stance, the Chief Minister said that acting on the High Court's orders, he held meetings with experts, senior cabinet colleagues and doctors on the KPME Bill over the last few days. "After a two-hour meeting with my senior cabinet colleagues Thursday night, we decided to make changes to the KPME Bill and clarify the doubts of doctors and of the people about it," he said. Asked about the deaths of 25 patients during the doctors' strike, he shot back saying, "Do you have any evidence to show that they died due to the ongoing strike?" Dr Ravindranath, however, said he was prepared to own moral responsibility for the deaths, whether or not they were caused by doctors' agitation.
Health Minister Ramesh Kumar highlighted some of the positive aspects and advantages of the Bill , saying it would redress the problems in the healthcare mechanism of the state.
