Memorial for martyred doctors will come up at Arogya Soudha: Minister Dr K Sudhakar

Bengaluru: A memorial will be built in Arogya Soudha to commemorate martyred doctors who laid their lives during the pandemic, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr.K.Sudhakar.

Speaking on the occasion of Doctors Day celebrations at Arogya Soudha, Minister Dr Sudhakar said "Only soldiers who died during the war are being referred to as martyrs. More than 700 doctors have died during their Covid duty. Since doctors and Health warriors died during the war against Covid-19, they have also been referred to as martyrs."

According to reports, the State government has decided to build a memorial in Arogya Soudha to commemorate their sacrifice. A model will be designed soon and will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister.

"Families of the martyred families can come and pay respect to the memorial on a fixed day. People are paying homage to the war memorial in Delhi. Similarly, this memorial will also serve people to pay their homage. On behalf of the Government I express my gratitude towards all medical communities who are serving relentlessly during this tough time, Sudhakar added.

The minister also reached on the issue of stipend which has been there for several years. He claims that the government has increased the stipend by 30-40 per cent. "In a historical move our government has recruited 1,763 medical officers. Also, 2,050 doctors are appointed on a one year compulsory rural service basis. More than 1,000 doctors have been appointed to Medical colleges. Overall, 4,000 doctors have been recruited, the Minister said. In a recent attack on the doctors being attacked by relatives of patients, Sudhakar warned them and said "doctors try to save the lives of patients till last breath. No one lets them die. People should not take the law into their own hands. Strict legal action will be initiated against the defaulters. It is a punishable offence up to 5-7 years of imprisonment".

Speaking at the IMA function, Dr.Sudhakar said that all doctors should register themselves in IMA. Government is considering paying more stipend to those working in rural areas, he said.