Doctors affiliated to Indian Medical Association (IMA) will go on a nation-wide strike on Monday, June 25, and will observe medical bandh.
Dr HL Krishnegowda, president, IMA, Karnataka State Branch, said on Monday, government doctors would boycott work, but would attend to emergency duties. Doctors who have private clinics will also boycott work. IMA, Karnataka, has about 3,000 doctors affiliated to it.
Krishnegowda said the strike is being held to express the doctors’ disapproval of the dissolution of Medical Council of India (MCI). He said the doctors are against introducing The National Commission for Human Resources for Health Bill, 2011, as it will create an organisation that supersedes the now-defunct MCI and all other paramedical councils.
“With the new scheme, we will have to go to Delhi to get permissions to practice. It will allow anyone to practice anywhere, leading to chaos,” he said.
Further, he said the IMA was against the Bachelor of Rural Healthcare course. He said there was a plan to start a diploma course in medicine, for which the eligibility criterion will be clearing PUC. Those who clear the course will be recruited for serving in rural areas.
He said the relaxed standard of selection would result in dilution of the level of training and the rural people would not be able to avail of the same quality of healthcare as the urban people do.
Instead of starting this course, the IMA wants the government to open more medical colleges, including some in rural areas. Also, it wants that salaries of doctors working under the state governments should be at par with the doctors who work under the central government.
To press for its demands, the association will observe bandh for one day, on Monday, and give a memorandum to the governor, asking him to look into the matter urgently. The doctors will stage a protest at Freedom Park.
