Indore: Medical services in the biggest government-run medical facility of the state Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital were hit on Thursday due to the mass leave taken by junior doctors to protest against the National Medical Commission Bill.
Services in other associated hospitals of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College were also hit due to the sudden mass leave taken by the junior doctors just after a day when the Indian Medical Association have struck work for one-day on July 31.
Many of the routine surgeries were postponed due to unavailability of junior doctors and the patients have to face a tough time in getting treatment at the OPD.
However, the hospital administration of the MY Hospital claimed that the services were not affected as senior doctors handled the situation and regular surgeries were performed.
Meanwhile, a large number of junior doctors have also staged demonstration under the banner of Junior Doctors’ Association at the main entrance of the MY Hospital and raised slogans against the central government and the NMC Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on July 29.
“Many provisions in the National Medical Commission Bill 2019 are unacceptable and undemocratic," President of JDA Dr Shashank Baghel said.
He said that Section 32 of the bill provides for licensing 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practice modern medicine.
“The term community health provider has been vaguely defined it will allow all paramedics including pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapists, optometrists and others to become eligible to practice modern medicine,” he said adding, “Section 15 (1) of the bill proposes a common final-year MBBS exam, the National Exit Test (NEXT), before an individual starts practising medicine and for seeking admission to post-graduate medical courses and for enrolment in the state register or the national register. Merit should be the determining factor in securing a PG seat and the current NEET-PG should not be scrapped.”
The JDA will decide the further course of protest on the directives of Central JDA.
Sources said that the JDA will call off the strike soon as the government has cleared many of the issues in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
