IMA moots 20% discount on surgeries for all voters

If you are planning to undergo gall bladder or cataract surgery, you might get up to 20% discount merely by exercising your franchise this election.

The Indian Medical Association (Lucknow) has mooted a proposal among its members to give discounts to patients who come for treatment and show their inked fingers, confirming they participated in the elections.

“We are sending letters to all our members asking them to give discounts. This will help motivate people to vote,” said Dr Vijay Kumar secretary IMA, Lucknow.

The national body of the Indian Medical Association had recently asked its members for creating awareness among voters in the country and for giving 45% discount on the OPD fee. The Lucknow chapter has gone a step further. “We discussed and thought discount can be given on operative fee and also on medicines purchased from hospital pharmacy. Therefore members have been asked to do it,” said Dr Kumar.

But to avoid any confusion the members have also been asked to put up such a notice at their

IMA RECENTLY ASKED ITS MEMBERS TO CREATE AWARENESS AMONG VOTERS AND GIVE 45% DISCOUNT ON OPD FEES

clinics and hospitals mentioning about the discounts they are offering. So if a hospital plans to give 20% discount for a cataract surgery that normally costs about ` 25,000 the discount will be approximately ` 5,000.

Similarly, a gall bladder operation that costs around ` 30,000 will come down to ` 24,000. All this could be availed just by pressing the button on the electronic voting machine (EVM). “At least 50 have already agreed to the idea and more would do the same before the polling date in Lucknow,” said Dr Kumar.

The Lucknow Nursing Home Owners Association (LNHOA) and Lucknow Practicing Pathologist and Microbiologists Association are also thinking on the same lines. “We will soon decide upon the exact percentage of discount that suits all nursing home owners,” said Dr Anoop Agrawal secretary LNHOA.