The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has risen in protest against the Union Government’s move to abolish Medical Council of India (MCI) and replace it with National Medical Commission (NMC). As part of the nationwide protest the Uttarakhand chapter of the IMA would hold a two hour Dharna at all the offices of District Magistrates (DM) on Wednesday. Informing about the plan of agitation, the State Secretary of the IMA- Uttarakhand Dr D D Choudhury told newsmen here on Tuesday that all the thirty State branches and 1765 local branches of IMA would organize the Dharna as part of the ‘Stop NMC Satyagraha' in all the districts. He said that the IMA had earlier postponed the Satyagraha scheduled for November 16, 2015 following the assurance from the Government of India but the government is determined to go ahead on the issue without considering the opposition of the IMA. Dr Chaudhury said that the Government would have total control over the proposed NMC which is detrimental for medical education and medical profession. He said that it is unfortunate that the NMC has the authority to allow private medical colleges to fix their own rates for 60-99 percent of the MBBS and post graduate seats. The IMA is also perturbed by the fact that the NMC has provision under Schedule IV under which the practitioners of Ayurveda, Homeopathy and other system of medicines will get registration in modern medicines after which they will be able to prescribe modern medicines to the patients. Chaudhury said that this move will affect the patient care and patient safety. The IMA secretary said that the association has give a time period of six weeks to the government to accept its demands failing which it would start a major agitation.
The other demands of the IMA are capping of compensation under consumer protection act, amendments to abolish license Raj and exemption of single doctor clinics in the Clinical Establishment Act. The association also wants an amendment in the Indian Medical Council Act and punitive punishments only for sex selective abortion and not for clerical errors under the PC- PNDT act. The Treasurer Dr Manisha Singh and Joint secretary Dr Ajay Khanna were present on the occasion.