OBC quota: Medicos continue stir; junior docs resume work

Bangalore, May 26 (UNI) Medical services in government hospitals in Karnataka showed marginal improvement as a section of junior doctors returned to work in some places today, even as students continued to boycott classes in protest against the Centre's move to reserve 27 per cent of seats for OBCs in higher education.

Services in government hospitals had been severely hit yesterday due to the nationwide ''civil disobedience'' protest called by the Indian Medical Association.

Patients heaved a sigh of relief as junior doctors resumed duties in Bangalore, Belgaum, Gulbarga and Bellary. But their counterparts in Mysore, Davangere and Hubli continued their agitation, affecting work in all departments, barring emergency services.

In the city, medical students continued to boycott classes and staged demonstration in front of their colleges.

In Mysore, the anti-reservation strike entered the 11th day, with students continuing to boycott classes and junior doctors refusing to resume work.

The relay hunger strike in front of the Cheluvambha hospital entered the seventh day today.

However, services at the K R hospital slightly improved as the authorities deployed doctors from primary and district health centres. Besides senior doctors, faculty from the Mysore Medical College faculty also treated patients.

In Hubli, junior doctors, belonging to KIMS and SDM college, stayed away from hospitals and staged a novel agitation by cleaning cars and other vehicles plying in the heart of the city.

They also performed street plays to create awareness about the ''ill-effects'' of reservation.

A report from Gulbarga said flow of patients to the Basaveshwar government Hospital fell drastically as 150 post graduate students and 100 junior doctors continued their agitation.

Talking to UNI, Hospital Superintendent Shivaraj Alashetty said ''The number of outpatients fell to 100 from usual 600 due to the strike.'' The Junior Doctor's Association called for a statewide bandh and said it would announce the date after holding consultations with student representatives.

Meanwhile, pro-reservation demonstrations were also staged by some organisations in some parts of the state.

UNI TEAM-RS RG AK GC1903