The state wing of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) staged a protest at government hospitals across the State as part of the medical body’s nationwide strike against the Centre’s move to bring in a National Commission of Human Resources for Health (NCHRH) Act in place of the Medical Council of India (MCI).
Addressing the protestors at the Government Chest Hospital, Hyderabad, Dr N Appa Rao, chairman of the Special Action Committee of All India IMA Strike, said, “There is an ulterior motive to gain control of medical colleges in India by passing new laws to centralise the entire medical community.”
Elaborating on the reasons for opposing the Centre’s move, he said that the IMA was demanding restoration of autonomous status and conduct of elections in a democratic manner to the Medical Council of India, stopping of the proposed NCHRH Act, which would override the federal functioning of health care delivery and lead to centralisation and politicisation of health care management, if the Act is passed. He said the proposals would interfere with medical administration by reducing the role of medical professionals, which, he termed, could be a death blow to medical institutions.
The IMA was also strongly opposing the government’s proposed exit exam for doctors even after the respective university degrees. It suggested that this exam be implied to international medical graduates and to those who studied in unrecognised Indian institutions, he said.
The doctors also demanded the government begin All India National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) from the academic year 2014-15 in local languages only after instituting a uniform nation-wide intermediate curriculum. They also demanded payscales to state government doctors on par with Central staff, exemption of medical profession from Consumer Protection Act since the latter was crippling the medical fraternity and forcing the doctors to be defensive in discharging their duties resulting in denial of proper medical aid to needy patients.
Demonstrations were staged by doctors in front of their respective hospitals in the state from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. “We did a protest in front of the hospital in the morning for one hour without interruption of medical services for patients,” said Dr S Mahaboob, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital.
Osmania General Hospital and Medical College doctors took out a rally from the IMA building at Esamia Bazar to Osmania Medical College in Koti between 9 am and 10 am, said Dr D Ramesh, general secretary of the Telangana Government Doctors Association. “About 200 doctors of the twin cities participated in the rally. After the protest, the doctors continued with their work at respective hospitals from 10 a.m,” he said.
The protest is being supported by the Government Doctors’ Association, Andhra Pradesh Nursing Homes Association, Indian Dental Association and Medical Representatives’ Union, said Dr Ramesh.
