Over 20,000 doctors from Gujarat supported strike: Indian Medical Association

Over 20,000 doctors from the state reportedly joined the 24-hour nationwide strike called by the Indian Medical Association against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019 which was passed in the Lok Sabha.

The association which has called the bill anti-poor had asked its members across the country to not attend to any non-essential services. The government hospitals in the state meanwhile claimed minimum disruption due to the strike. Superintendent of Civil Hospital MM Prabhakar said the services in the hospital were not affected since most doctors reported for duty.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Medical Teachers Association (GMTA) has called off its strike scheduled for August 1 after the members were called for a meeting with deputy chief minister Nitin Patel. A release from the organisation said that the future course of action will be dependent on the outcome of the meeting with Patel.

The IMA, among other things, is opposed to the fact that the bill allows setting up of a National Medical Commission in place of Medical Council of India (MCI) for the regulation of the medical education and profession.

It should be noted that the MCI has often been in the news for its corrupt practices. The IMA said that the bill allows for non-qualified people to practice medicine through a bridge course.