IMA protest against NMC bill, healthcare services to be affected

Healthcare services at many private hospitals in the country are likely to be hit on Tuesday as the Indian Medical Association has called for suspending routine services for 12 hours to protest a Bill seeking to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body, reports PTI.

Services at outpatient departments (OPDs) of many private hospitals may be hit by the protest, but emergency and critical services will remain open.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda had a meeting with the members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) where the latter conveyed their concerns over the Bill.

A senior health ministry official, however, said the Bill is slated to come up for discussion in Parliament on Tuesday and the House will decide over it.

“We heard them out, but nothing can be done now as the Bill has been tabled in Parliament. A discussion over it will be held tomorrow and the House will decide,” he said.

“The Bill is aimed at bringing reforms in the medical education sector which is under scrutiny for unethical practices and also will weed out corruption,” the official said. The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which was tabled in Parliament on Friday, seeks to replace the MCI and also proposes allowing practitioners of alternative medicines, such as homoeopathy and ayurveda, practise allopathy after completing a “bridge course”.

The IMA, which has been strongly opposing the NMC bill saying it will “cripple” the functioning of medical professionals by making them completely answerable to the bureaucracy and non-medical administrators, has declared Tuesday a “Black Day”.

“The NMC Bill in the present form is not acceptable. This Bill is anti-poor, antipeople, non representative, undemocratic and anti-federal in character. The IMA headquarter hereby declares closure of all routine services for 12 hours from 6 AM to 6 PM tomorrow across the country,” newlyappointed IMA national president Dr Ravi Wankhedkar said.