Mangaluru: In a disgusting incident, a college girl died on Friday after she was unable to gain access to medical treatment at any of the local private hospitals in the last three days due to the ongoing strike by private doctors across Karnataka.

The victim has been identified as Pooja (19), a resident of Kabaka Vidyapura in Puttur, near Mangalore in Dakshina Kannada. She was a student of B.com second year at Vivekananda College of Arts, science, and commerce in Puttur.

She had been suffering from a chronic kidney ailment and her health had deteriorated on Friday. Most out-patient departments(OPDs) in Mangalore city were open on Friday.

According to sources, Pooja was undergoing dialysis-related treatment regularly at a private hospital in Puttur as She had been suffering from a chronic kidney ailment and her health had deteriorated on Friday. On Friday, she was rushed to the hospital in Puttur as her disease exacerbated. However, due to the doctors' protest, she didn't get any treatment. The family members were advised to take the patient to Mangaluru, but sadly she breathed her last in the ambulance on the way.

According to sources, the incident comes at a time when the Karnataka High Court on Thursday observed that the doctors should call off the strike and head back to work to fulfil their duty towards society.However, on Friday there was some relief for patients as OPDs in private hospitals in Bengaluru began functioning after the High Court's observation.

Over 40,000 private doctors across the state have been on strike since November 13.