IMA calls for nationwide withdrawal of services tomorrow

Indian Medical Association (IMA) emergency action committee has called for a nationwide withdrawal of services on Thursday, stating that its stand against the deleterious clauses of the National Medical Bill (NMC) will continue till the medical education and the health of the nation are out of harm's way.

"IMA has decided an aggressive public campaign against sections 32, 50 and 51 which legitimises quackery and promotes cross pathy, section 10.1.i on capping of fee in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education on section 15 the lingering uncertainty of the career of medical students and section 29.3 and 28.7 on quality of medical education," the medical association said in a statement.

Asserting that medical students and resident doctors are on "war path", IMA said it will keep supporting them to add momentum to the movement till justice is rendered.

It appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to withhold assent until the dangers to the health of the nation accruing from several sections and said it has immense faith in the judiciary in "correcting the aberrations in this black law".

IMA will consult all stakeholders, including doctors, on the further course of action, it said.

Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had passed the NMC Bill which seeks to create National Medical Commission in place of Medical Council of India (MCI) with Health Minister Harsh Vardhan terming it as an "anti-vested interests Bill".

It provides for the repeal of the Indian Medical Council Act 1956. The Bill provides that the common final year MBBS exam be known as NEXT which would serve as a licentiate exam for entrance to post-graduate medical courses and as a screening test for foreign medical graduates.