Bengaluru: A day after ‘requesting’ private medical establishments and private doctors to call off their strike in the larger public interest, the High Court on Friday directed them to restore their services forthwith.
A division bench headed by acting Chief Justice H.G. Ramesh passed the directions in an interim order, while hearing a batch of petitions against private doctors and medical establishments going on strike against a proposed Bill.
“Right to life is one of the basic human rights. A person’s right to get treated can certainly be traced to Article 21 of the Constitution of India, and hence, is a fundamental right. The damage done to a patient is sometimes irretrievable, but the grievances of the doctors who are on strike can be examined by this court in an appropriate proceeding. In this background, if the strike is permitted to be continued, it will only cause inconvenience to the general public. The doctors cannot be insensitive to the plight of patients,” the court observed. Earlier when the matter came up for hearing during the morning session, the court expressed its dissatisfaction after learning that some of the doctors and establishments were still continuing their strike. Before passing the interim order, the court orally observed that the doctors who belong to the creamy layer of society have gone to the street without showing common sense.
