Indian Medical Association (IMA) Assam State Branch has started a IMA Bharat Yatra in several districts of the North Bank of Brahmaputra , said IMA Assam State Branch Secretary Dr Atul Kumar Kalita, to protest against National Medical Commission Bill.
The Yatra started at Nagaon district after Tezpur on Tuesday.
State Secretary of IMA Dr Atul Kumar Kalita and President Dr Hiranya Adhakari had sent a letter to the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing committee on Health and FW, Professor Ram Gopal Yadav opposing National Medical Commission Bill (NMC) which has been tabled in the Lok Sabha.
In a joint statement Dr Atul Kumar Kalita and Dr Hiranya Adhakari said that IMA opposed the present form of the bill and the representatives of all modern medicine doctors of India consider points like private medical college, privileges of states, crosspathy, foreign medical graduations, Indian medical graduations as undemocratic and non representative.
They pointed out that NMC is a pro-private management bill paving the way for widespread corruption . It removes all the regulations before starting a medical college and no one needs any permission. Any private medical college can raise its UG/PG seats by itself. Only up to 40 percent of seats in a private medical college can be regulated by the government For 60 percent more seats the private sector will fix the rates .They also said that there is huge loophole in financial penalties ranging from 5 crores to 100 crores opening the flood gates to corruption. As a result medical education in the country will become expensive placing the lower socio economic groups at a greater disadvantage.
They also stated that only 5 states will be represented in NMC at any point of time .The other 24 will be unrepresented. The state medical council which is a sovereign body, through enactment of state legislatures will come directly under NMC. The universities do not have a representation in NMC but one per state will be represented in an advisory body called Medical Advisory Council.
The latter also mentioned that regarding the foreign medical graduates any foreign doctor can practice in India without any restriction. The screening test for foreign medical graduates have been abolished. All Indian medical graduates should undergo a licentiate exam to be allowed to practice.
Further the State IMA branch mentioned that a medical Bill without the concurrence of the medical profession will be a disaster and they appealed to the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing committee on Health & FW to raise his voice against the oppressive clauses of this Bill.