Indian Medical Association (IMA) Jharkhand Chapter members have joined hands against the Government of India decision for the formation of National Medical Commission (NMC) scrapping the existing Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act. Notably, the NMC withdraws the autonomy of medical professionals from the body partially and ensures active involvement of people from other professional sectors now as well.
“The government has gone ahead with scrapping of MCI and is replacing it with a totally nominated body called ‘National Medical Commission’. The bill is anti people in nature and all doctors nationwide are against this decision of central government,” said, IMA Jharkhand chapter Secretary, Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh.
“All the 30 State branches and 1765 local branches of IMA are organizing a two hour dharna to stop the implementation of NMC and to suitably amend Indian Medical Council Act without compromising the autonomy of doctors. This dharna is organized as a reminder to the government to intervene and sort out the major problems faced by the medical professionals. Protesters will also hand over a memorandum addressing to PM, Narendra Modi to the respective district magistrates,” added Singh.
Besides this, IMA members have been fighting for a Central act to protect doctors and hospital from violence, capping of compensation under consumer protection act, amendments to abolish license raj and exemption to single doctor clinics under the clinical establishment act, punitive punishments only for six selective abortion and not for
clerical errors under PC PNDT act.
Doctors have also demanded to prevent unscientific mixing of modern medicines and indigenous systems schedule to be prescribed only by modern medicine graduates. “In the dictatorial decision, government has given Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) practitioners’ privilege to get direct admission in MD/MS. The decision is not in the interest of public and can be dangerous as allopathy practice requires complete medical knowledge base and each method of treatment is completely different from one another,” added Singh.
All Jharkhand IMA wing members will again raise the matter of Medical Protection Act (MPA) bill and will protest for implementation of MPA across Jharkhand after December 15.