Terming that the National Medical Commission Bill passed by the Lok Sabha as a ‘law that legalised quackery’, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a nationwide strike against the bill on Wednesday.
All essential services across the country is likely to be hit with a majority of the doctors in the states are associated with the IMA. As many as 5000 doctors had staged an agitation in New Delhi on Monday when the NMC bill was passed. Several leaders even courted arrest.
IMA national president Dr Santanu Sen had said that the bill was anti-professional, anti people. Anti- people and anti-democratic and will only create quacks. Even before the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, the doctors had raised their apprehension. One of the major contentions is with regard to the giving license to community health providers to practise. The Indian Medical Association leaders said that this clause in the bill will only create quacks as it gave license for anyone be it nurse, pharmacist or any one related to medical field, to practise. Stating that it was one of the worst bills in the history of health sector, they said that it would only endanger the lives of the people.
Moreover, the IMA also said that about 50 per cent of the graduates will not get PG admission because of National Exit Examination (NEXT). The leaders also maintained that the new bill widened the gap between the rich and the poor with the private medical colleges given the freedom to fix the fees in 50 per cent seats.
