Doctors step up protest against NMC Bill

• Doctors boycott duties from 6 am to 6 pm in the district
• All OP services suspended in private hospitals
• Doctors demanded that the government immediately withdraw the NMC Bill to be tabled in Parliament for discussion soon
• Indian Medical Association alleges the NMC Bill was pro-rich and anti-poor

Vijayawada: Following the call given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the private hospitals in Krishna district observed 12 hours strike from 6 am to 6 pm on Saturday protesting against the introduction of National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill in Parliament replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI), which was formed over six decades ago.

Doctors’ fraternity strongly opposed the NMC Bill alleging that it would be pro-rich and anti-poor. Doctors and staff working in the private hospitals suspended the out-patient services.

Unaware of the doctors’ strike, many patients from different parts of the district, who came to Vijayawada for treatment, were disappointed.

Everyday thousands of people from various parts of Krishna, West Godavari and Khammam districts come to Vijayawada for the treatment and medical check-up.

Due to doctors’ strike, the patients could not get the treatment in over 300 hospitals functioning in the city. Similarly, patients suffered in Machilipatnam, Gudivada, Nuzvid and other parts of the district.

Doctors are strongly demanding that the Centre immediately withdraw the NMC Bill which may come up for discussion in Parliament soon.

Addressing the media at IMA Hall here on Saturday, AP IMA honorary president Dr Kolli Srikaruna Murthy expressed serious concern over the proposed NMC Bill and said that it would allow Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathic doctors to practice Allopathy after undergoing six months of bridge course.

He questioned how these Ayurveda and Homeopathic doctors can learn Allopathy course in six months and treat the patients.

Murthy said there would be no control on private medical colleges if the NMC Bill was passed in Parliament and it would facilitate them to allocate seats as per their whims and fancies.

He said the medical courses would become costlier and poor and middleclass merit students could not get seats in the colleges.

Dr Samaram, former president of Indian Medical Association, said the bureaucrats would play a key role in medical education if the NMC Bill was passed.

He said the role of doctors would be diluted in medical and health education at national-level and added a 29-member body would be formed to regulate the medical education in the country.

Stating that medical and health education were completely state subjects, he said the role of Union government would increase drastically if the NMC Bill was passed in Parliament.

IMA Vijayawada secretary Dr Rasik Singvi alleged that the Centre was behaving in an autocratic manner on NMC Bill.

Stating that the doctors across the country opposed the NMC Bill in 2017, he said the Centre was now again trying to pass the bill in Parliament.

He said the government can rectify the defects, if any, in the MCI and continue it and felt there was no need to scrap the MCI.

He alleged that the Central government was taking decisions in favour of private medical college managements and turning a deaf ear to the suggestions of doctors and people associated with medical field.