Protest against NMC Bill: Emergency services resume at hospitals, other depts to remain affected

After a two-day agitation against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019, the emergency services have been resumed at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and all hospitals under the umbrella of Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA).

"Emergency services have been resumed at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and all hospitals under FORDA," said doctors who were agitating over various provisions mentioned in the Bill.

However, residents doctors at Safdarjung Hospital are still on strike and likely to make their decision by tomorrow. "At Safdarjung hospital, we continue to be on the strike. We will take an action in the morning," Dr Prakash Thakur, Resident Doctors Association (RDA) president at Safdarjung Hospital told ANI.

Confirming the development, FORDA president Dr Sumedh Sandanshiv said: "We have resumed emergency services at RML, Lady Hardinge and other hospitals associated with FORDA."

"We have resumed the emergency services with immediate effect at AIIMS, but we continue to be on strike. Further decisions will be taken in next general body meeting," said Dr Arminder Singh Malhi, RDA president at AIIMS.

For the last two days, a massive protest was demonstrated by doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia, Lady Hardinge, Lok Nayak hospitals against the Bill.

Earlier in the day, doctors met the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to discuss various provisions of the Bill. However, they were not satisfied in the meeting and continued their strike for the second consecutive day.

Doctors have shown dissatisfaction over the "ambiguity" of the bill as they are uncertain on the concept of National Exit Test (NEXT) and demolishing of NEET-PG.

Agitating doctors expressed concerns over the privatization of medical education. "The Bill will give undue favors to the private medical colleges/unaided universities by decreasing the percentage of seats under the controlled fee structure from 85 per cent to 50 per cent," said doctors.

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for an emergency Extended Action Committee meeting on August 4.

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" which will be remembered as one of the greatest reforms brought by the Modi government.

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.

-ANI