As Indian Medical Association has declared January 2 as “black day” for medical practitioners across India, state branch of IMA has also staged a sit-in-protest yesterday at IMA house, Lamphelpat in tandem.
Protesters were holding placards that read, “NMC is against poor people NMC is undemocratic”, “NMC is costly education, costly treatment to people we reject NMC”, “one IMA one voice no NMC” and others.
Dr. Ravi Wankhedkar, National President of IMA shared with the media that current form of the National Medical Council (NMC) is absolutely not acceptable. Dr. RN Tandon, Honorary secretary general of IMA also pointed out that the current form of this bill is anti-people, non-representative, anti-poor and undemocratic in character.
IMA secretary Sachindra Laishram shared the press release by Indian Medical Association and mentioned that IMA has objection over National Medical Commission bill. This one is a pro-private management bill and its implementation will only boost corruption. NMC removes vital regulations controlling the start of a medical college. This current form of NMC bill says that one can start a medical college without seeking for permission to start it and moreover, existing management of medical colleges can increase it’s under graduate and post graduate seats by itself.
He further added that government can now regulate only forty percent seats in private medical college. It means, sixty percent seats in a private college will be under its management where management can fix the rates without any permission required. It will directly curse the intelligent candidates from poor family backgrounds. It will also reduce chances of having good medical education for the poor students from schedule caste and schedule tribe classes.
National Medical Commission bill has provision of limited representation from state medical councils. Only five states will have their representative in governing body. Other twenty four states will not be having their privileges too. State medical councils are now sovereign bodies. But after passing of this bill, these state councils will come directly under NMC. No medical university will have its representative in NMC.
If this bill got passed in both houses, the cost of healthcare as well as medical education will automatically rise.