IMA calls off protest at 3pm; agitation was against tabling of the National Medical Commission Bill in Parliament
The pan-India strike by the doctors of Indian Medical Association (IMA) affected patients in the National Capital till 3 PM, after which it was called off. The strike was announced after the National Medical Commission bill was tabled on Friday, and was called off after a decision that the bill will be sent to a standing committee. The nine-hour-long strike affected patient care as many were seen stranded.
The suggested NMC bill, seeks the replacement of MCI, Medical Council of India, and also proposes alternative medicine doctors, like homeopathy and Ayurveda, to practice allopathy after clearing a ‘bridge’ course. After this bridge course, it allows AYUSH practitioners to get registration in modern medicine and license to practice it.
The bill has been condemned by the doctors’ association, who believe that it is “anti-people, anti-federal and undemocratic” in nature.
Indian Medical Association doctors along with FORDA, Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), an umbrella body of resident doctors, have said that this bill will have the medical professionals work under pressure from the bureaucracy.
“Eighty percent of the private doctors in the country, which makes for almost two lakh doctors out of the 2.7 lakh currently, did not work and Out-Patient Departments remained closed. This was all done to get the bill referred to a standing committee,” says Dr. Ravi Wankhedkar, newly appointed Indian Medical Association president.
On Tuesday morning, most of the major private hospitals in the National Capital like Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, kept their OPDs closed until 3 PM. Patients were seen returning due to the unavailability of doctors. While emergency cases and pregnant women were being tended to, the majority of the departments remained closed.
“I came here all the way from Rohini and now they tell me that I will have to come back again some other day. My leg has so much pain and it is difficult to come this far,” said Uma Bharti, a 65-year-old patient suffering from swelling in the feet.
The bill also allows private colleges to charge ‘freely’, which in a way affects the changes brought through NEET.
ABOUT THE NMC BILL
- The NMC bill seeks the replacement of MCI, Medical Council of India, and also proposes alternative medicine doctors, like homeopathy and Ayurveda, to clear a ‘bridge’ course before getting a licence to practise modern medicine
HARDSHIPS, WARNING
I have been waiting since morning. The doctor has reassured me that he would attend to me as mine is an urgent case, but most of the patients are being turned away
Narendra Kumar Goyal, a patient from New Rohtak at the Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in Punjabi Bagh
I came in a bus from Kirti Nagar, but have been asked to go back. Mine is not an urgent case. While they are only looking at medical emergencies, this demonstration has still caused some discomfort to me
Ram Kumari, patient
Considering the hardships that the patients might have to bear in the event of a strike, FORDA members wore black ribbons. We might be forced to take hard steps for our demands in the near future in line with IMA
Dr Vivek Chouksey
Our demand was to take the Bill to the standing committee and we’re glad that it has been referred there. It requires adequate discussion as in its current form it is anti-poor, anti-people, non-representative and anti-federal. The first battle has been won
Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, IMA president
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