Resident doctors on strike against NMC bill

Agitated over the passage of National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill in the Lok Sabha, residents doctors of government hospitals, including AIIMS and RML in Delhi, have threatened to go on an indefinite strike, including withdrawal of services at emergency departments on Thursday.

New Delhi: Healthcare services at several government hospitals, including AIIMS and RML here, were disrupted on Thursday as resident doctors went on a strike and withdrew all services including that at the emergency department to protest a key legislation that seeks to regulate the medical education sector.

Resident doctors have threatened to continue the strike for an indefinite period if the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill is tabled and passed in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Resident doctors will refrain from working in OPDs, emergency departments and ICUs as a mark of protest.

Resident doctors at AIIMS will hold a demonstration on Thursday and march towards Parliament in the afternoon.

Amid widespread protests by the medical fraternity, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in a tweet on Wednesday night said he would table the NMC bill for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

He also assured countrymen that the "historic" bill, if passed, would bring "mega changes in the medical education sector."

The bill, which seeks to replace the graft-tainted Medical Council of India (MCI), had got the nod of Lok Sabha on July 29.

The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday even as thousands of doctors protested against it across the country.

Taking to ETV Bharat President of AIIMS Resident Doctors Association Dr Amrindar Singh Malhi said that they are opposing the NMC Bill in the present format.

"We want that Government should make amendments to in the bill," said Dr Malhi.

The doctors are opposing Section 32 of the NMC Bill which provides for licensing of 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practice modern medicine.

"This section allows anyone connected with modern medicine to get registered in NMC and is licensed to practice modern medicine. This means persons without a medical background are becoming eligible to practise modern medicine and prescribe independently," Dr Malhi said.

The agitators are also protesting over Section 10 (1) of the NMC Bill which talks about seats reserved for private medical colleges and it's the fee structure.

"If the Bill gets its passage in the Rajya Sabha, we will approach to the President," said Malhi.

He said that their agitation will continue until and unless the Government accepts their demand.

Dr Sumedh Sandanshiv, president, Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), charged that the bill was "anti-poor, anti-student and undemocratic."

Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA) of the AIIMS, RML and some other hospitals in the city had given notices to the respective administrations regarding the strike on Wednesday.

Several Delhi government hospitals to have joined the stir on the call of FORDA.

LNJP is the largest facility under the Delhi government.

Following the strike notice, several hospital authorities have put in place contingency plans for the smooth functioning of healthcare services as a part of which emergency services will function with the help of sponsored residents/pool officers and faculty members.

"Inpatient (general and private) wards patient care services, labour room and maternity operation theatre (OT) and support services will function normally and will be supervised by the faculty of hospital administration concerned," according to the contingency plan drawn by AIIMS.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has also expressed reservations over several sections of the bill, had given a call for a 24-hour withdrawal of non-essential services on Wednesday across the country.

It has warned in a statement that it will intensify the agitation if the government continues to be "indifferent to our concerns."

The fraternity claims that the bill will encourage quackery.

Doctors are demanding certain amendments in the bill. According to them, if not amended, the bill will lead to the deterioration of medical education and the degradation of healthcare services.

They are objecting to section 45 of the bill, which, they claim, empowers the Union government to override any suggestion of the National Medical Commission.