THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOZHIKODE: The nation-wide strike called by the Indian Medical Association against the passing of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019 in the Lok Sabha was total in the state on Wednesday.
Doctors, postgraduate medical students and house surgeons of both private and state-run hospitals joined the strike. According to IMA state committee, the future course of protest will be decided based on the fate of the bill in the Rajya Sabha, which will take it up for consideration on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Director of Medical Education in the state Dr Remla Beevi said that no patient services were disrupted as doctors had not boycotted OP duty.
She added that in hospitals where doctors had gone on leave due to the public holiday related to Karkkidaka vavubali, alternative arrangements were made. The patient flow to hospitals on the day was also limited.
“The protest was against the unscientific implementation of NMC. Except emergency services and surgery, all non-essential services were boycotted by doctors. If our demand is not met by the Centre, the protest will be intensified,” said Dr N Sulphi, state secretary, IMA.
According to him, the 24-hour hunger strike is the first step in this regard.If the bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, it will be a “black chapter in the history of modern medicine”, he said. Kerala Government PG Medical Teachers’ Association president Dr Ajith Prasad told Express as the nation-wide protest was called at a short notice, the joint action committee comprising various associations had decided not to bring hardships to patients.
In Kozhikode, OP services at hospitals were disrupted. Medical students also boycotted their classes, in solidarity with the pan-India strike called by the of IMA. Though the OP services were hampered, emergency, casualty, ICU and other related services were unaffected.