38 Junior Doctors Face Action Over Viral Reels Shot In Karnataka Hospital

A government medical college in Karnataka's Gadag has cracked down on junior doctors recording reels on campus. The Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences management has extended housemanship -- meaning practical training -- of 38 junior doctors by 10 days after reels shot by them went viral on social media.

The reels showed the students dancing in their scrubs in the hospital corridors. Another showed them looking at reports and holding saline bottles as a bed is wheeled across. After the reels circulated on social media, many accused the junior doctors of neglecting their duties for shooting quirky videos. The reels had popular Hindi and Kannada songs.

The director of the institution has called it a "grave mistake" by the students. "Whatever they wanted to do, they should have done it outside the hospital premises to avoid inconvenience to patients. We haven't granted permission for such activities," Dr. Basavaraj Bommanhalli said.

The director said the students had told them that they recorded the reels for their pre-graduation ceremony. "We have taken note of this, they shouldn't have done it. Appropriate action has been taken against them. Their housemanship was supposed to end in the next 10-20 days, and we have extended that by another 10 days," he added.

Reels shot by doctors have gone viral on several occasions in the recent past, especially in the post-Covid era. These reels have sharply divided public opinion. While many have praised doctors for their moves and seen the reels as a way to counter work stress, others have questioned if such conduct reflect negligence towards their work and inconvenienced patients.