Good evening everyone. It is indeed an honor to be here today amidst noted dignitaries including our Chief Guest Shri Akhilesh Yadav Ji; the youngest ever Chief Minister of UP, Guinness book of World Record Holder, and one of the 100 most influential Indians 2016. Our Guest of Honour Dr. Ketan Desai - President Elect World Medical Association and one of the most highly respected and valued individuals in the Indian medical profession.
IMA’s National President - DR SS Agarwal and immediate past President - Dr. A Marthanda Pillai. My colleague and valued friends, Dr Vinay Aggarwal – Chairman Organizing Committee and Past President IMA, Dr Sharad Aggarwal – Chairman Reception Committee.
A big and warm welcome to all other dignitaries on the dais and in the audience and our valued members of the press.
CWC is the Rajya Sabha of the IMA and we have here amongst us one representative per 1000 IMA members. I am proud to call us the oldest and largest democratic and representative association of all the doctors of modern scientific medicine in our country. Through our live webcast today, we are reaching each and every IMA member across the country in the true spirit of the Digital IMA campaign we launched last year. This is a clear indication of our democratic functioning and commitment to the betterment of the medical profession in India.
Ever since the present team took over office, we have been tirelessly working towards making the profession more accountable, transparent and efficient. In our first year under the leadership Dr Marthanda Pillai and now of Dr SS Agarwal and the continuous guidance of Dr Ketan Desai the team IMA has been able to deliver results and take the IMA name to each and every part of the country and Globe.
In his address, Dr SS Agarwal has already raised our concerns about the increasing violence against doctors in our country, the issues faced by the medical profession due to unwarranted laws and regulations, the unethical rules of the CEA, PCPNDT act, multiple registrations required for doctors and the immediate need for single window registration for medical establishments.
Over the course of the next two days, we will be discussing and deliberating the various issues being faced by each one of us today at a National level and I am hopeful that the meeting will be a success and we will be able to come to a consensus and present a concrete way forward.
At the State level, I believe that there are many issues faced by the community in UP which also need to be discussed and solved.
Some of the pressing issues being faced by the fraternity and IMA today include:
1. IMA needs land for community service projects especially for the blood banks
2. The state medical council needs an elected team
3. The CEA registration fee problem needs to be sorted out
4. The doctors’ protection act needs to be implemented
5. Medical profession is demading a single window registration mechanism for their establishments
6. The need to remove a single doctor clinic from the CEA
7. Conferment of State awards to private doctors aswell
8. Constitution of a working committee with IMA/ UPIMA is imperative
9. Reimbursement of doctors for handling emergencies, which otherwise is the state duty to handle is key and must be initiated. It is not possible to cater to emergency patients absolutely free of cost with no support from the government
10. It’s easy to demand doctors to treat every acid burn case for free, treat every CSA for free, and treat every RTA for free. Providing first aid free of cost is acceptable, but not the entire treatment including follow-ups. It is not possible to expect the medical professionals to maintain their own personal expenses and standard of life if they do not charge for treatment
11. How can you expect us to charge < 200 Rs for a consultation and yet pay electricity, water, house tax at commercial rates. Why can’t we be provided with subsidy to open aided medical establishments on the lines of aided schools.
12. We die ten years earlier than the rest of the population, we charge the least amount of money as compared to all other professions. Then why cant we be provided medical benefits, vaccinations, free drugs, and free admissions by the government. Many states oblige journalists with free treatments but why not the doctors. We are different and cannot be compared with other professionals.
13. Domestic medical tourism needs to be promoted
14. Doctors need to encouraged to involve themselves at the village level in UP to help provide primary care across the UP under PPP model
15. The case of our senior member Dr Arti Lalchandani, needs to be considered sympathetically.
UP State Model: 100 % health literate, nonsmoking, domestic medical tourism at Agra, No polio, MDR TB, XDR TB, 100% institutional deliveries, fully immunized, where every private doctors is part of state health services.
One needs to be scientifically, morally, ethically and legally correct. IMA stands for the updation of the knowledge of its doctors. IMA now has UNESCO Chairs in Bioethics, PVPI number 9717776514, Grievance cell, Jan Aushidhi store, directs people who cannot afford treatment, Independent ethics Committee, Infection Control Committee, credit hours, IMA Professors, adoption of girl child, entry level accreditation of NABH.
Medical professionals are considered to be the next in line after god, however they are not god himself and are likely to make mistakes. To err is human. But the mistake of one cannot be representative of the entire medical profession. As a doctor am I not entitled to choose a good lab, an imaging center with low radiation facilities, charge for making a summary, charge for coordination with hospital or a specialist, refer to a particular chemist or a diagnostic center where I have faith, then why I am being blamed of being commercial by the politicians.
The government does not intimate doctors about the banning of a drug or introduction of new drugs. Then whats wrong if they learn about new drugs and products directly from Pharma companies. The announcmenet of the recently banned 300 drugs was also communicated to the medical fraternity by the media and not by the government.
What can IMA offer to the UP government? Our one voice campaign can be of added value to the UP health department. We can connect the government to one lac doctors in UP though UP e- Connect spread over 100 branches through SMS, Webcast, emails, podcast, multi-location video conference etc.
I repeat, what the NP has said, the Central IMA as well as the State UP IMA is with you, make use of our help and offerings as you want. We are ready and available to help 24/7
I am grateful to Dr Ketan Desai for his guidance.
I once again wish all of you a Happy IMA year – Jai Hind – Jai IMA