Kannada Development Authority on Monday urged Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao to issue an order making it mandatory for doctors working in all government health centres and hospitals to write prescriptions in the state's official language.

KDA chairperson Purushotham Bilimale also suggested felicitating doctors every year on Doctors' Day at taluk, district and state-level in recognition of their love for Kannada and "their activities in favour of the language." In a letter to Rao, Bilimale asked the minister to create an atmosphere where Kannada-loving doctors working in private hospitals and their heads too are encouraged to use the language.

"This will be of great help in the progress of Kannada language, and I hereby request you to pay attention in this regard," he said in the letter.

Noting that recently during an official visit to Raichur he had motivated government doctors to write prescriptions in Kannada, and had directed the Deputy Commissioner there to issue necessary instructions in this regard, the KDA chief said, "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 said several of them have even shared with him prescriptions written by them in Kannada.

"If government doctors working in health centres, taluk and district hospitals across the state give priority to Kannada while writing prescriptions, it will be a major step towards protecting Kannada identity," Bilimale said, adding that if it is not made mandatory, expected progress cannot be achieved in its implementation. The state government's strong stand will play a key role in this.

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