Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS) 

Bengaluru, Nov 24: Bengalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) will appoint home guards for the protection of its doctors, who work in the five government hospitals in the city that are run by the institute. 

This decision by BMCRI comes after one of its doctors, working at the Minto Ophthalmic Hospital was manhandled and attacked on November 1 by the members of pro-Kannada outfit. The group was agitating against the hospital demanding justice for the several men and women, who had lost their eyesight after undergoing cataract surgery in the hospital during the earlier part of the current year. The doctor, who was from Kerala, could not speak in Kannada and it irked the pro-Kannada activists, who manhandled him.

This assault had led a week-long strike by the doctors who did not attend the outpatients and also stayed away from conducting elective surgeries. The private hospitals also supported the doctors of BMCRI after a week and the protest went out of control. The main demand of the agitating doctors was to provide protection for them from the hooligans. 

The striking doctors withdrew the strike only after the attackers, who manhandled the Kerala doctor, surrendered themselves to the police. In addition, the government also promised to look into their issues. 

Speaking on the decision taken by BMCRI, director cum dean Dr C R Jayanti said, "The city market areas where the five hospitals of Vani Vilas, Minto, Victoria, Super Specialty hospital and the Trauma Care center are located will be given 31 home guards for protection of doctors. These numbers will increase in future. Decision will be taken whether these home guards will complement the existing security guards," 

"Medical Education Department took the final decision of appointing home guards as they are well-trained and tackle security issue situations better. In addition, all the hospitals coming under the BMCRI will have public address system and panic buttons, which the doctors can use in case of attack and alert their colleagues and security personnel," added Dr Jayanti. 

Giving details of security increase at Minto Ophthalmic Hospital, Dr Sujatha Rathod said, "CCTV cameras are being fitted in the hospital in addition to the presence of at least two home guards round the clock."