Udupi: IMA Udupi Karavali branch staged protest in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office at Manipal on Wednesday, 16th November, 2016 and later given memorandum to the President of India, Health Minister of India, Chief Minister of India and Health Ministry of the state through Deputy Commissioner of Udupi district.

The striking doctors said that IMA is now forced to organize Satyagraha on International Tolerance Day and expects the government’s intervention to solve the problems of medical profession once for all. The demands are for the welfare of the community and to help the government in implementing its programme.

Indian Medical Association is the largest Medical Association of the world. IMA is a voluntary body constituted by doctors practicing modern system of medicine. It represents the collective consciousness of over 2.7 lakh doctors in all the 686 districts of India organized in 30 states and 1765 local branches.

Indian doctors have contributed significantly in achieving millennium developmental goals and are now working hard to achieve sustainable developments goals including reduction in maternal mortality, infant mortality, road traffic accident deaths, HIV, TB and Malaria reduction. IMA is actively participating in Swachh Bharath Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matraatav Abhiyan. IMA as a nation builder has volunteered its services for the success of all the national programmes.

IMA are concerned about the threat perceived by the profession in general and hardship suffered by individual doctors in particular. To be able to participate in various national health programmes and continue giving our best to the community, we need government intervention in the several seasons.

Anywhere in the world, medical profession is bestowed with reasonable autonomy. Patient care and patient safety are the main benefits of such autonomy. Regulators need to have autonomy and be independent of administrators’. The proposed national medical commission will be a regulator appointed by Administrators under their direct control. IMA supports suitable amendments in the existing IMC Act, IMA is against scrapping it totally and making it a non autonomous body.

The basic medicine is MBBS. Medical council of India is a representative body of the medical profession in India. Abolishing a democratic institutions and replacing it by a totally nominated body is certainly a retrograde step and is unacceptable.

Inducting non medical persons in the highest regulator of medical profession takes away the perspective and character of the sacrosanet institution. Institution a Medical Licentiate exam after qualifying in final MBBS exam is an injustice and as such is insensitive to the plight of medical students who even otherwise have to undergo a long and tortuous academic career chequered with highly competitive exams.

Professional organizations like IMA are registered under societies Act. In no way, their independence and freedom of action could be subjected to government control through National Medical commission. The corrective forces are part and parcel of the democratic forces in the country.

Dr Anbumani Ramadoss tried unsuccessfully to bring in a legislation to dissolve the MCI and set up another council under the control of the Health Ministry. The Indian Medical Association along with other professional bodies opposed the move. Nevertheless the legislation was drafted and placed before the cabinet for approval to bring in an ordinance. The Prime Minister’s office referred this bill to a standing committee of Parliament on health.

The standing committee rejected it on the ground that any regulatory body should be devoid of government control or else it would lose its independent regulatory mechanism. It is pertinent to note that in its exhaustive report the standing committee took exception to the attempt by government to centralize the powers with itself and reduce down a Body of Experts created for a distinct purpose by a parliamentary enactment into a department working under the government of India. There is a paradigm shift in the behavior of the society towards doctors and health staff. Medical professionals need protection in work place. 17 state laws protecting doctors and health staff is the need of the hour.

Being a social profession, the fees of doctors is reasonable and often capped by the mediclaim, CGHS, PSUs and the market forces. Medical profession expects quid pro qu capping in compensation when it is awarded against a doctor. Already compensation for a mishap in a clinical trial has been capped.

IMA demands a single window registration for hospitals and health care establishments under state medical councils. IMA also wants a single window regulation for medical negligence under the state medical council.

IMA is for stringent punishment to any doctor who indulges in sex selective abortions. However, IMA is against penal provisions under PCPNDT Act or under acts where doctors are booked for clerical mistakes.

Practicing modern medicine is not beyond risk and it takes 10 years of learning. There is no way by a six months or one year course. AYUSH doctors or others could be trained to practice modern system of medicine. In an emergency, improper treatment can lead to death.

IMA has been raising these points with the Ministry repeatedly. IMA forced to organize national level Satyagraha on 16th November, 2016. We are confident that our issues will get mentioned in next Mann ki Baat of Prime Minister and hope to get our issues above solved in the next six weeks.

During the protest, Dr. Madhusoodan Nayak, Dr. Murlidhar Patil, Dr. Venkatesh Shanbaug, Dr. Y. S. Rao, Dr Umesh Nayak, Dr Ashok Kumar, Dr Mohandas Shetty, Dr. Vijay Kumar Shetty, Dr. Vasudeva Somayaji, Dr. R. N. Bhat and others were present.