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Indian Medical Association organises a Nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed NMC Bill across 500 cities

Other demands include exemption of doctors from the Consumer Protection Act, reformation of the PCPNDT Act, enactment of a Central Act to protect doctors from the increasing incidences of violence and capping medical negligence compensation

Bangalore, November 16, 2016: The Indian Medical Association, the only representative, national voluntary organisation of Doctors of Modern Scientific System of Medicine organised a pan India protest today to voice and demand prompt action to key issues impacting the medical community at large. The “IMA Stop NMC Satyagraha” was held in over 500 cities simultaneously between 11:00 am - 1:00 pm on the occasion of International Tolerance Day and saw the participation of over 1-lakh doctors.

IMA has been demanding key reforms towards the betterment of the medical profession since over a year. The Satyagraha that was originally supposed to be held in November 2015 was postponed on the assurance of Hon’ble Health Minister of India, Shri J P Nadda that an Inter-Ministerial Committee will address IMA’s demands within six weeks. While the government accepted some demands initially, key issues remain unresolved. The Inter-Ministerial Committee is also only recommendatory in nature making them incapable of any action.

“IMA asks for the government to consider the demands that it has put forward on behalf of 2.7 lakh doctors and action them within a six weeks period. These are genuine demands and need to be considered on priority,” said Dr SS Agarwal, National President IMA & Dr A. Marthanda Pillai - Immediate Past President IMA in a joint statement.

Elaborating on the demands Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – National President Elect Indian Medical Association said, "IMA has been demanding swift action against serious issues affecting the transparent and efficient functioning of the medical profession since the past one year, yet key issues remain unsolved. The proposed NMC bill is undemocratic and must be done away with. The PCPNDT Act is unjust and the inclusion of doctors under the purview of the Consumer Protection Act unfair. Protecting doctors against the increasing incidence of violence is the responsibility of all including the government. Together we stand unified as a medical profession and hope that are demands are heard”.

“We must together work towards restoring the nobility of the profession and seek the governments help in this. These are issues affecting not one individual but the entire fraternity at large and must be addressed immediately,” said Dr. G.N. Prabhakara, State President IMA & Dr. Veeranna B, President IMA Bangalore branch & Dr R N Tandon - Honorary Secretary General (Elect) IMA in a joint statement.

Given below are the demands put forward by IMA:
 
•    IMA is against the recently proposed National Medical Commission Bill that demands the dissolution of the Medical Council of India, a move that is undemocratic in nature. IMA believes that instead, the government must consider introducing amendments to the existing MCI Act to make it transparent, accountable, robust and self-sufficient.
•    Incidences of violence against doctors and medical establishments are on the rise. 18 States in the country already have enacted acts & ordinances protecting doctors and their establishments against violence. IMA fails to understand why the Central Government cannot bring a Central Act regarding the same.
•    IMA demands that individual doctor clinics be taken out of the purview of the Clinical Establishment Act.
•    IMA is against the enforcement of any penal action on doctors for clerical mistakes, a primary example being that of the PCPNDT Act.
•    IMA wants the medical profession to be taken out of the purview of the Consumer Protection Act and till that happens, the compensation should not be decided on the income of the patient but the total fee charged. Awarding compensation that runs in crores is unacceptable and instils unnecessary fear in the minds of doctors. IMA is not against the compensation method used in clinical trials by the Government.
•    IMA agrees with the views of the Central Government that Non-MBBS & Non-BDS doctors cannot prescribe Scheduled H, H1 & X-Drugs but the same also needs to be enacted and followed by the State Governments through appropriate amendments. The NMC Act if introduced will nullify this clause as it has a provision allowing the registration of non-MBBS doctors to the medical profession.
•    IMA demands that the Inter-Ministerial Committee appointed to look into IMA’s demands should not be recommendatory in nature and should be given powers to implement their suggestions.
•    IMA fails to understand why it takes years to pass amendments given that the Government has powers to bring Ordinances or Special Acts. IMA wants immediate solutions and the time bound implementation of their demands.