Doctors Across India Go On Strike
Doctors across India are protesting the newly passed National Medical Commission Bill which proposes various reforms for the medical fraternity.
From 6:00 am 31st July 2019, doctors all over India went on strike for 24hrs. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said that doctors will be available only for emergency services. All non urgent cases will not be taken. Public demonstrations and protests will be organized by all the local and state branches of the IMA. The IMA has told doctors and medical students all over the country to participate and show their support. The IMA has told doctors to go on strike to protest the National Medical Commission Bill, which was passed in Lok Sabha on 22 July 2019.
While passing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan, said that this was Bill very bring some very important and well needed changes in the medical world. But doctors in India do not agree. The IMA has been opposing the Bill since 2016. The new Bill that was passed has gone through many changes. Doctors feel that the Bill gives more importance to Private medical colleges and is very unfair. According to the Bill, undergraduate medical students will have to appear for their final year exams as well as the National Exit Test (NEXT). If students pass the NEXT exam only then they can apply for post-graduate courses. Students who have studied abroad also have to give the NEXT exam to get a license to work in India.
Doctors feel, this puts a lot of pressure on medical students. The Bill also introduces new courses that will train paramedical students (Nursing, Physiotherapy,etc.) so that they can work in rural areas. Doctors are not happy with this as they feel it will increase the number of fake doctors in the country. They say no one can become an expert by simply doing a course. Doctors say that a shortcut like this is not the way to deal with the problem of less doctors in India.
