Nurses, med students backing strike: IMA

The Ahmedabad branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday reiterated its stand to join their counterparts across the country in the nation-wide strike to take place on Monday.

The strike has been called against the National Council for Human Resources in Health bill – 2011, the Clinical Establishments Act, the new Bachelor of Rural Health and Care (BRHC) programme.

Speaking at a press conference held in the city on Friday, Gujarat state secretary of IMA, Dr Bipin Patel said that they have the support of doctors from across the state.

“Doctors of government hospitals though exempt from it, will be wearing a black band as a mark of protest,” said Dr Patel. He said that medical students will also be joining the protest. A member of the Junior Doctor’s Association at Civil hospital said they affirmed this.

“But we will have a meeting of our own to decide as to whether we will stay away from work. Nothing has been decided as yet,” said the member.

To a question that MCI had failed to take actions against erring doctors, Dr Mehul Shah, president of the association said it was not right to taint an entire profession for the misdeeds of a few.

“There are erring people in every profession, that does not mean you punish the entire profession,” he said to a reply as to why the council should not disintegrate.

Iqbal Kadiwala, president of the Gujarat branch of the Trained Nurses Association of India said they are supporting the strike as well. “The government nurses will be attending work but will wear black ribbons. The private nurses will not work if the respective hospitals where they work support the strike,” he said.

It should be noted that when contacted earlier, some hospitals had expressed their inability to let their functioning come to a halt due to the strike.