A Delhi government hospital on Saturday issued a circular asking the nursing staff employed there to refrain from speaking in Malayalam, has been withdrawn according to ANI.
G.B. Pant nurses’ association president Liladhar Ramchandani told PTI that the circular was issued in pursuance of a complaint sent by a patient to a senior officer in the health department, regarding use of Malayalam language at the hospital while adding that “the union disagrees with the wordings used in the circular”.
Circular directing nursing staff to communicate only in English/Hindi issued by Nursing Superintendent without any instructions/knowledge of hospital administration & Delhi government, stands withdrawn with immediate effect: Medical Superintendent, GB Pant Institute pic.twitter.com/LN33sfLp0L
— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2021
The hospital administration says that the circular was issued without their information and hence has been withdrawn.
The circular which was previously issued by the Delhi government triggered a lot of backlash. Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Kerala Rahul Gandhi tweeted to stop such language discrimination. “Malayalam is as Indian as any other Indian language. Stop language discrimination!” he wrote.
Malayalam is as Indian as any other Indian language.
Stop language discrimination! pic.twitter.com/SSBQiQyfFi
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 6, 2021
Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, tweeted “It boggles the mind that in democratic India a government institution can tell it’s nurses not to speak In their mother tongue to others who understand them. It is unacceptable, crude, offensive And a violation of basic human rights of Indian citizens. A reprimand is overdue”.
It boggles the mind that in democratic India a government institution can tell its nurses not to speak in their mother tongue to others who understand them. This is unacceptable, crude,offensive and a violation of the basic human rights of Indian citizens. A reprimand is overdue! pic.twitter.com/za7Y4yYzzX
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 5, 2021