Patients in Mys hit hard as doctors abstain from OPDs

Mysuru: Patients in Mysuru region were hit hard as doctors abstained from providing services at the outpatients department (OPD)of hospitals on Saturday to join a nation-wide protest demanding justice for the Kolkata hospital rape and murder victim.
Emergency services, however, were available, but villagers who were unaware of the strike had to return without meeting doctors as all OPDs were shut.
In Mysuru, OPD services were shut in all the govt and private hospitals. The hospitals were found wearing a deserted look with all the hospitals closing their OPD blocks. Only emergency cases were attended to. Inpatient services were available in all the hospitals. The doctors carried out protests demanding protection, improved service conditions, etc. In many hospitals, including JSS Hospital, agitators attended to emergency services during their protest.
At KR Hospital, which witnesses a huge rush of patients every day, many patients returned without consulting doctors. The hospital authorities are struggling to provide OPD services for the last few days due to the strike by the house surgeons.
Mysuru district health officer PC Kumaraswamy said emergency services were not affected by the doctors’ strike. “I visited several hospitals. Emergency services were available everywhere. Only outpatient services were affected,” he said.
The doctors carried out protests in neighbouring Chamarajanagar, Mandya, and other districts too. Even though the patients visiting the private clinics and hospitals were not affected by the strike, the poor patients faced a lot of inconvenience.
The OPD services and clinics will resume from Sunday at 8am.