‘Mandate writing doctor prescriptions in Kannada’: KDA urges Karnataka government

In a letter to Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Kannada Development Authority chairman Purushotham Bilimal suggested the movie

Kannada Development Authority requested the Karnataka government to mandate writing doctor prescriptions at government hospitals in the local language instead of English. KDA said this would help the progress of the Kannada language in the state.

‘Mandate writing doctor prescriptions in Kannada’: KDA urges Karnataka government

In a letter to Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, KDA chairman Purushotham Bilimal suggested the movie. He said, “If government doctors working in health centres, taluk and district hospitals across the state prioritise Kannada while writing prescriptions, it will be a major step towards protecting Kannada identity. I request you to look into it and mandate prescriptions in Kannada.”

Billimal also claimed that an officer recently visited the government hospital in Raichur, which motivated doctors to write the prescription in Kannada, and many doctors agreed. “After reading about it in the media, hundreds of doctors voluntarily have expressed to me that they will start writing prescriptions in Kannada to save the language," he added.

Earlier, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah also said that Kannadigas must create a Kannada atmosphere in the state. Speaking at an event, Siddaramaiah said, “The duty of Kannadigas is to create an atmosphere of Kannada in the state. Everyone must decide to speak only in Kannada with the people who live in this land. Speaking in our mother tongue in our land must make us feel proud,”

Earlier this year, an ordinance was approved during a cabinet meeting on January 5, sought to amend the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022, and put in place a provision that mandates 60% space on signboards must be taken by Kannada language, and the remaining 40% by any other language including English.

(With agency inputs)