New Delhi: Facing flak over a circular asking its nursing staff not to use Malayalam at work after "complaints" it had received, the Delhi government-run G B Pant hospital on Sunday was forced to walk back the order and issue a statement promising strict action in the matter.
"The circular which was issued by the Nursing Superintendent, GB Pant Hospital, without any instructions or knowledge of the hospital administration and the Delhi government stands withdrawn with immediate effect," a new order issued by the Medical Director Dr Anil Agarwal read.
"The matter is being investigated and strict action will follow," Dr Agarwal said.
The circular issued on Saturday read, "A complaint has been received regarding Malayalam language being used for communication in working places in GIPMER. Whereas maximum patients and colleagues do not know this language and feel helpless causing a lot of inconvenience.
"So, it is directed to all nursing personnel to use only Hindi and English for communication. Otherwise, serious action will be taken," it had said.
An official of the GB Pant nurses' association said there are around 850 nurses working at the hospital, of which around 400 are Malayali.
The association's president, Liladhar Ramchandani, claimed the circular was issued based on a complaint sent by a patient to a senior officer in the health department, regarding Malayalam being used at the hospital, while adding that "the union disagrees with the wordings used in the circular".
The circular invited sharp criticism from the medical fraternity, political leaders and the public, within hours of which the hospital administration revoked the circular.
Kerala CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury also reacted to the news and said such orders were "unacceptable". He added, "No language can be banned from usage anywhere in India as long as the people conversing understand it. This must be reversed immediately."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called for stopping language discrimination. Party leader Shashi Tharoor said that the order was unacceptable, crude, offensive and a violation of the basic human rights of Indian citizens. "Malayalam is as Indian as any other Indian language. Stop language discrimination," Rahul Gandhi said. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also wrote against the circular on Twitter, in Malayalam, "This order violates the basic values of our country." She added that the circular was "racist, discriminatory and completely wrong."
In addition, the party general secretary KC Venugopal on Sunday demanded strict action against authorities responsible for issuing the circular in the first place by urging Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to act against hospital authorities.
"I would urge you to look into this matter and take immediate measures to withdraw the atrocious and discriminatory circular. I would also urge you to take immediate disciplinary action against the persons who issued such a circular based on linguistic discrimination," Venugopal said in his letter to the health minister. He said nurses from Kerala are serving across the world in Covid times and helping save people's lives, and their contribution cannot be ignored.
Meanwhile, the BJP also took aim at the Delhi government over the circular, saying that it was ironic of Delhi to seek oxygen from Kerala and then stop nurses from the state from speaking in their own language.