Countrywide strike hit by doctors against ‘National Medical Commission Bill 2017’

New Delhi, January 2: Over 2 lakh doctors on strike to protest against ‘National Medical Commission Bill 2017’. Indian Medical Association IMA called on for 12 hour shutdown against the bill terming the bill as ‘Anti-people’ making it prone to encourage more corruption. 

After the ‘National Medical Commission Bill 2017’, was tabled in Lok Sabha on 29 December, the IMA called for a 12-hour shutdown to protest National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017, that seeks to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Echoing his opinion over protest, National President Ravi Wankhede said that “the IMA strongly opposes this Bill and has no option but to take the issues to our patients and the people. To register our protest, routine medical services like OPD and elective surgeries across the country have been withdrawn between 6 am and 6 pm at our member hospitals and health institutions.”

Former President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) KK Agarwal said that the National Medical Commission Bill would open gateway for future corruption.

The services of the government hospitals will remain unaffected but the outpatient department (OPD) services at private hospitals across the country will definitely be affected.

National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017 is an anti-poor bill with pro-private management clause; IMA claimed and further added that, “The bill allows ayurvedic as well as homoeopathic doctors to practice allopathy after a six-month bridge course.”

• IMA demands that one elected representative in NMC is from the Registered Medical Graduates of every state and there is no separate registration for AYUSH. It demands that the minimum qualification to practice modern medicine shall remain MBBS and there should not be any bridge courses.
• IMA will facilitate deployment of 65,000 fresh MBBS graduates graduating every year in Rural Health Services with appropriate working conditions and incentives. Another demand is that no licentiate exam should be held after final MBBS examination. IMA has also proposed a common All India Final MBBS examination.
• It demands that the new Bill proposes to do away with permissions needed to start a medical college, allowing private medical colleges to increase undergraduate and postgraduate seats on their own, the IMA demands a legitimate inspection and appropriate regulation to run a medical college.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017 seeks to allow practitioners of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, to practice modern medicine once they complete a short term "bridge" course.