From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Nov 19: The inordinate delay in the appointment of doctors and specialists in 21 government hospitals resulted in Health Minister U T Khader facing a fierce attack from members cutting across party lines in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

Assembly Speaker KagoduThimmappa, who earlier had expressed displeasure against functioning of the health department, also criticised Khader for the delay in the appointment of doctors.

The Speaker asked the Minister to cancel the counselling process in the posting of doctors in rural areas.

Earlier, replying ruling Congress member N AHaris during question hour, the minister said the process of appointment of doctors in government hospitals would be completed by December end.

Irked by the minister’s reply, members of Opposition and ruling Congress said that the Minister had given the same reply during the last Assembly session also.

Sunil Kumar (BJP) wanted to know whether the minister would resign if failed to complete recruitment process by December end. The KPSC has prepared the list of 574 doctors.

Laxman Savadi, Basavaraj Bommai (BJP), B R Patil (KJP) and A S Nadahalli (Congress) too protested the delay in the appointment of doctors.

Intervening during the debate, the Speaker expressed anger against at Khader and said, "Even after two and half year since the government came to power, you are still in the process of recruiting doctors."

Doctors posted through counselling would not report to the duty in remote rural places, he charged.
Immediately, senior Congress leader K R Ramesh Kumar objected the Minister’s statement and said Khader cannot make such an answer after direction from the Speaker.

"The direction of the Speaker is direction of the House. The minister has to say whether he will obey or not," he said.

Later, Khader said he would look into the issue of cancelling counselling system after consulting department officials.