IMA opposes Centre’s medical education hybridization

‘Mixopathy’ is a threat to patient care and safety and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) strongly opposes the government’s move to hybridisation of medical education to bring out compromised doctors which will put its healthcare delivery system in total peril, said Dr RV Asokan, national president of IMA.

“IMA has included the demand to stop attempts to integrate various systems of medicine in its charter of demand,” he said.

Dr Asokan, was in Pune for the ceremony of incoming president IMA Pune.

Dr Rajan Sancheti and his team took charge as the new president of the IMA Pune chapter on Sunday.

Several IMA office bearers, including Dr Shivkumar Utture, national vice-president of IMA, attended the event.

Dr Asokan said, “There will be no compromise on the issue of mixopathy by IMA, no matter which party government comes. The MBBS integrated degree will not be allowed by the IMA and we will oppose it.”

“Once the general elections are over the integrated MBBS course issue will come up as a priority. Integrative medicine is a threat to patient care and safety and mixopathy is a health catastrophe in waiting. A cafeteria approach with the patients having the right to choose is the only acceptable solution,” he said.

He, further, informed with over 650 medical colleges across the country every year almost a lakh MBBS doctors pass out.

“Our doctors are capable of providing the healthcare and sufficiently trained to handle the required healthcare necessities. We have created a good healthcare system and the government can make it better,” he added.

Dr Utture, informed that the IMA has come up with the health manifesto for the first time and all IMA chapters should handover this to the candidates who will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“The aim is to sensitise these politicos who will become the lawmaker in future about the problems in healthcare,” he said.

Dr Asokan said, “IMA demands enactment of a strong law against violence against doctors and hospitals.

“The small hospitals are closing which cater to a large number of populations at affordable rates without any compromise in quality. These small and medium hospitals up to 50 beds and clinics should be exempted from The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010,” he said. Hindustan Times