IMA – begins it’s campaign with IMA 1 voice

Eight lakh practicing or serving medical doctors are coming out in one voice to protest against the injustice to the medical professionals where they are being unduly targeted.

Sixty thousand of IMA members have signed the petition demanding that the atrocities faced by the professionals at the hospital and clinical levels must stop and they must be allowed to work in a fearless atmosphere.

Dr K K Aggarwal, national president of the IMA explained, “ All these years we have been practising individual patient centric medicine using all social determinants of  health and prescribing drugs, investigations and line of treatment  based on individual patient’s interest. But now we are being forced to follow outdated  standard treatment  guidelines made by “experts” with possible no experience of working in  the field of private sector.”

The doctors state that they are being forced to write drugs whose quality has to be decided by pharmacists and they are being forced to charge fixed fee decided by the government.

Doctors state that their job is to provide treatment in the best interest of the patient and death does not mean negligence?

Why Section 304 and 304(a) even are being considered by the police directly? 

The answer to all this is Single Window Accountability.  Unless  the State Medical Council or the Medical tribunal feels that there is gross medical negligence,  section 304/ 304 (a) should not even be considered.

There are many more issues enlisted below with other possible suggestions.

1. Criminal prosecution of medical negligence and on clerical errors is not acceptable – suggestion - Criminal prosecution of medical negligence and clerical error should be an exception and not a routine.

2. Capping the compensation in CPA on doctors – suggestion - Compensation should not be based on the income of the person but on the formula used by DCGI in Clinical Drug Trial.

3. Professional autonomy in treatment and prescriptions-– suggestion - Safe guarding the interest of the patient by practising medicine based on social determinants of health and patient centric decisions.

4. Stringent central act against violence – suggestion - Universal central act against violence similar to 18 States who have enacted in their States.

5. No unscientific mixing of systems of medicine – suggestion -  Ayush should be strengthened in its own field and not allowed back door entry in modern system.

6. Empower MBBS graduates – suggestion - UG seats equal to PG seats and bringing back the concept of family doctors.

7. Bio-Medical Waste Policy & safeguarding the interest of small nursing homes ­– suggestion - Doctors owned small nursing homes should get due exemption.

8. One drug - One company - One price – suggestion -  Price of generic – generic, generic - trade, generic – brand from one company should be the same.

9. Implement inter- ministerial committee recommendations in six weeks – suggestion -  It is already late by 2 year.

10. Single window accountability – suggestion - The State Medical Council or a Medical Tribunal is a solution.

11. Single window registration of doctors and medical establishments – suggestion -This will reduce the cost of treatment and can be undertaken by the Health Ministry.

12. No to NMC: Amend IMC act to maintain professional autonomy – suggestion - No regulatory mechanism can run  with predominant nominated body.

13. Uniform final MBBS exam instead of 'NEXT' – suggestion -  Uniform final MBBS exam will ensure quality.

14. Uniform service conditions for doctors & faculty – suggestion - This should be at a national level.

15. IMA member in every government health committee – suggestion -  Nirman Bhawan can give a room to IMA for fruitful functioning.

16. Central anti-quackery law – suggestion - Every citizen of India has a right to receive quality and safe health care.

17. Reimbursement of emergency services for private sector – suggestion - Emergency services are the responsibility of the State but they have no resources.

18. 25000 family medicine PG seats – suggestion - We need more family physicians this can be undertaken by MCI or NBE (DNB)

19. Health budget between 2.5 – 5 % with coming year for universal health coverage – suggestion - This is to provide universal health coverage.

20. Aided hospitals and retainer ship in general practice – suggestion - This will provide subsidised services to the middle class.