Mangaluru : The government hospitals, including the Government Wenlock Hospital in the city, in Dakshina Kannada on Monday received several patients as private hospitals suspended services in their out-patient departments in response to the nation-wide protest against the attack on junior doctors at NRS Hospital in Kolkata recently.

The Wenlock Hospital and its Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Centre attended to nearly 1,000 patients on Monday.

“Monday is usually a busy day. The strike call by the Indian Medical Association added to the number of visitors on Monday,” Hospital Superintendent H.R. Rajeshwari Devi told.

Dr. Devi said that in light of the protest she had requested Deans from the Kasturba Medical College, whose students make use of clinical facility in the hospital, to make all their doctors available on Monday. “Specialists from all the 19 departments, nearly 100 doctors and post-graduate students and 100 paramedical staff extended service today. As many as 25 government doctors were also on duty,” she said.

Comparatively, the Government Lady Goschen Hospital that deals with maternity cases had fewer patients in the OPD. “As against an average of 150 persons, we received 65 women,” Hospital Superintendent Savitha said. As directed by the government, all the government doctors were on duty in the OPD. Doctors from KMC handled causality and the operation theatre. There were six normal delivery of children and four operations. “All the doctors discharged their duties sporting black band on the their coats,” Dr. Savitha said. There was no disruption in services at taluk government hospitals and the primary health centres in the district, said an officer from the District Health and Family Welfare Department.

Private hospitals such as A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences in Kuntikana and KMC Hospital in Attavar and Ambedkar Circle displayed on their notice boards the closure of OPD operations till 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Father Muller Hospital closed the main gate of the OPD Block. Some private practitioners sported black badge and treated patients in their clinics.