Doctors to go on nationwide protest on October 2

BENGALURU: At least three lakh doctors from across the country under Indian Medical Association (IMA) will participate in a dawn-to-dusk fast, from 6am to 6pm on October 2, asking for several of their demands to be addressed.The IMA, through the peaceful protest, will call for a strong central legislation against violence against doctors and clinical establishments, amendments in the CEA and PCPNDT Act, pay parity and uniform service conditions all across India. They also want capping of the compensation amount awarded and not allow non-MBBS and non-BDS doctors to prescribe medicines.

State president of IMA Dr Rajashekhar S Bellary said, “The Clinical Establishments Act is not state-friendly. CEA makes it mandatory for private clinical establishments to stabilise trauma victims. Similarly, in case of natural disasters, sexual abuse and other man-made disasters like fire, cracker explosions and spurious liquor tragedy the private health sector is forced to give free treatment. Single doctor establishments should be exempted from the purview of the CEA.

The Act is being implemented without taking into consideration the ground realities, which is pushing medium-sized healthcare establishments to extinction.”The other demands include that the government stop criminal prosecution of medical negligence and clerical errors, take stringent central act against violence on doctors and professional autonomy in treatment and prescriptions. They have also sought that the National Medical Commission not be set up.