The Centre has issued an advisory to all its hospitals to ensure patient services and emergency care are not affected by the strike call by the Indian Medical Association.
“It has come to the notice that the Indian Medical Association (IMA) would be on one day strike on 2.1.2018 (from 9am to 9 pm). Since the strike may involve a large number of medical professionals, and it is anticipated that there would be inconvenience to the patient care services in the hospitals. …it is requested that all necessary measures may be taken to ensure that the patient health care and patient services are run smoothly,” reads the advisory issued by the Centre to all its hospitals.
Indian Medical Association, the largest voluntary organisation of doctors in the country has called a 12 hour strike on Tuesday in protest against the National Medical Commission Bill. The Bill aims at changing the structure of medical education regulation and also allow Ayush practitioners to prescribe allopathic medicines after passing a bridge course.
One thousand doctors will assemble at the IMA headquarters in ITO, central Delhi and march to Parliament to register their displeasure about the Bill. The National Medical Commission Bill to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body, to ensure transparency, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 29, amid protest from Congress members.
According to the Bill, the commission will have government-nominated chairman and members and board members will be selected by a search committee under the Cabinet Secretary. There will be five elected and 12 ex-officio members in the panel. Several political parties are readying to oppose the Bill and send it to a Select Committee instead especially in the Rajya Sabha where the government is not in a majority.
The provision allowing practitioners of Indian medicine to practise allopathic medicine following a bridge course is a particularly contentious one. Introducing the Bill, Health Minister J P Nadda said it incorporates suggestions made by a standing committee. The Bill provides for constitution of four autonomous boards for undergraduate and post-graduate education, assessment and accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under the National Medical Commission.
It also proposes a common entrance exam and licentiate (exit) exams which all medical graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences.No permission would be needed to add new seats or to start post-graduate courses, it says.