Bengaluru: The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has called on Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao to make it mandatory for doctors in all government health centres and hospitals to write prescriptions in Kannada. KDA Chairperson Purushotham Bilimale also proposed an annual recognition for doctors on Doctors’ Day at taluk, district, and state levels, honoring their contributions to promoting the Kannada language.
In a letter to Rao, Bilimale suggested extending this encouragement to private hospitals, urging Kannada-speaking doctors and administrators to embrace the state’s official language in medical practices. He emphasized that making Kannada mandatory in prescriptions is crucial to protecting the language’s identity.
Bilimale highlighted his recent visit to Raichur, where he encouraged government doctors to use Kannada in prescriptions. Following media coverage, hundreds of doctors expressed their willingness to comply, with many already sharing Kannada prescriptions with him. He stressed that without a government mandate, the initiative’s progress may remain limited.
