IMA calls for nationwide 24-hours strike opposing NMC bill

As a mark of protest against the National Medical Commission Bill 2019 which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a nationwide 24-hour withdrawal of non-essential services. Emergency services, casualty, and ICU will function normally.

New Delhi: A day after Lok Sabha passed the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019, Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a 24-hour nationwide strike on Wednesday, opposing certain provisions in the bill.

The strike will start from 6 am and is expected to hit medical services across India. Lakhs of doctors, students and IMA members will join the strike across the country. However, emergency services, casualty, ICU will function normally.

"The Lok Sabha has approved and passed a draconian bill. The healthcare and medical education of the country has been dumped into darkness by approving the undemocratic bill in 2019," said Dr Ravindra S Wankhedkar, immediate past president of IMA.

Wankhedkar said that Section 32 of the NMC Bill provides for licensing of 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practice modern medicine.

"The term community health provider has been vaguely defined to allow anyone connected with modern medicine to get registered in NMC and be licensed to practice modern medicine. This means persons without a medical background are becoming eligible to practise modern medicine and prescribe independently," said Wankhedkar.

He said that this provision and other controversial provisions can never be accepted by the medical fraternity of the country.

The mess created by the Bill regarding the examinations affecting the career of generations of medical students can not be condoned.

"The numerous other inconsistencies in the Bill will seriously affect the health of the nation," he said.

The IMA has also reservation over Section 10 (1) of the NMC Bill which talks about seats reserved for private medical colleges and its fee structure.

As the NMC Bill 2019 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that this will end "Inspector Raj" in medical education.

The Bill proposes to repeal the Medical Council of India Act 1956 and dissolve the current MCI.

The Bill has proposed to set up a National Medical Council (NMC) as an umbrella regulatory body with certain other bodies under it.

The IMA, however, has also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing him to withdraw the NMC Bill 2019.