Doctors Strike Against NMC Bill: 28,000 Medicos from Gujarat Join
Representational Image. Image Courtesy: IANS
Doctors and medical students across the country are observing a 24-hour strike against the National Medical Commission Bill or the NMC bill, which had been passed in Lok Sabha on Monday. The Indian Medical Association, which has given the call for strike pan-Indian strike, since Wednesday morning at 6 am, said that the law legalises quackery. Demonstrations and hunger strikes at local level are being observed and medical students are boycotting their classes in protest of the anti-poor and anti-people bill.
"The NMC is the worst bill ever introduced in the medical education system and unfortunately, a health minister, who is also a doctor, is adamant in destroying his own education system. We will not accept this atrocity at any cost. The proposed Bill is anti-people, anti-poor, anti-students, anti-democratic and draconian in nature. Medical students being the part of this pious education system have also joined hands to protect our education system and uproot this NMC bill," said Dr Santanu Sen, National President of IMA, while speaking to PTI.
The new NMC bill seeks to repeal the existing Indian Medical Council Act of 1956. Along with this, as per the bill, the central government will constitute a Medical Advisory Council. The Council will be the primary platform through which the states/union territories can put forth their views and concerns before the NMC. The NMC would be replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI), which was dissolved in 2010 following corruption charges against its then president, Ketan Desai.
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While, terming the bill as draconian one, IMA said that Section 32 of the NMC Bill provides for licensing of 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practise modern medicine, which will lower the quality of the medical system in the country.
As per the Bill, NMC will grant a limited license to certain mid-level practitioners connected with the modern medical profession to practice medicine. But there is no definition about these medical practitioners. It roughly says that these mid-level practitioners may prescribe specified medicines in primary and preventive healthcare.
However, IMA said: “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 practise modern medicine. This means persons without medical background are becoming eligible to practise modern medicine and prescribe independently.”
More than 28,000 doctors in Gujarat, too, joined the 24-hour nationwide strike against the passage of the Bill.
"We believe that more than 28,000 doctors in Gujarat have joined the strike on Wednesday beginning 6 am," according to the Gujarat chapter of IMA.
"This is not a full-fledged strike. We expect that 28,000 doctors in Gujarat have joined the strike from today morning in solidarity with agitating doctors across the country," said Dr Kamlesh Saini, state secretary, Gujarat Chapter, IMA.
During the discussion on the Bill in Lok Sabha on Monday, MP Manish Tiwari of Congress had pointed out how the Bill contributes to injustice to the medical students. As the Bill contributes to disparity in the fee structure with only 50% of the seats coming under the NMC’s fee authority, 50% seats come under private medical colleges.
“Now, 100% of the private medical seats will be deregulated regarding the fee subject to non-binding guidelines. Medical education in the country will become expensive placing the lower socio-economic groups in great disadvantage,” said Dr RV Asokan, Secretary General of IMA.
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"The proposed Bill by virtue of its inclusions which are draconian in character and are totally aimed at centralising the entire authority in the hands of the government, is not in public interest as well as is prejudicial to the medical education and profession as a whole," he told PTI.
Along with the doctors, health experts and activists fear that the current developments are an attempt to sell out the medical system to the corporates. According to them, if the government is not ready to include amendments in the interest of people, the Bill will lead to deterioration of medical education and degradation of health care services in the country.
On Tuesday, doctors associated with the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) and Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) at AIIMS worked wearing black badges as a mark of protest. "We still hope that necessary amendments will be made in the Bill before being passed in Rajya Sabha," AIIMS RDA President Amarinder Singh Malhi and president of Students' Union Mukul Kumar said in a joint statement.
As the protest continues, FORDA has come in support of the ongoing protests and has warned the government of indefinite strike if the Bill is passed in the current form. “As decided by FORDA in a meeting of Resident Doctors Associations, Resident doctors will be withdrwan from all the service in hospital including essentials ones for indefinite period if the bill is passed in current form. So, Indefinite strike from 1st Aug Onwards,” it said.
While, the emergency, trauma, ICU and related services remain unaffected and the strike will continue till Thursday morning at 6 am.
Read more: Countrywide Doctors, Students Protest Against NMC Bill
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