HYDERABAD: Calling their protest ‘Telangana Vaidya Garjana’, junior doctors and medical students in Telangana marched to Indira Chowk here on Thursday to stage a protest against the National Medical Commission Bill, 2019. The junior doctors were supported by Telangana Jana Samithi founder Professor M Kodandaram, and Tollywood actor Rajasekhar, who is a doctor himself.
Addressing the gathering, Rajasekhar wondered, “New laws and bills in the medical field must be brought in by medical professionals. The committee for the bill consisted of only IAS officers and politicians,” he said. ‘’There are a number of quacks in villages. A Bill like this will weaponise these quacks,’’ he added. he NMC Bill seeks to introduce a ‘bridge course’ of 6 months for practitioners of alternative medicine (like Ayurveda, Unani, etc) to be eligible to practise medicine.
He held the Central government responsible for the decline in the healthcare sector. The boycott of elective and emergency medical duties over NMC Bill 2019 at teaching hospitals in Hyderabad by medicos has continued to impact health care services. The strike has left senior doctors and nursing staff overworked.
Meanwhile, State Health Minister Etela Rajendar met Union Health Minister Dr Harshvardhan on Thursday and discussed the protests against the NMC Bill, which was passed in the Rajya Sabha on August 1.