THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dr R V Asokan, a physician based in Punalur, assumed the role of national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) during the 98th national conference in Kovalam on Thursday. Dr Asokan had previously held various positions within the IMA, including as national secretary, state unit president and secretary.
The mational vice-presidents include Dr Gunasekaran (Tamil Nadu), Dr Shivakumar Uttare (Maharashtra), Dr Suresh Gutta (Telangana), and Dr Ashok Sharda (Rajasthan). Anil Kumar Nayak (Gujarat) is the newly elected national general secretary.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan said it is sad that a woman doctor had to be martyred in the state to pass a comprehensive law to ensure the safety of health workers. He was speaking as the chief guest at the induction ceremony of IMA national office-bearers.
He condemned attacks on doctors, urging self-reflection in certain situations and emphasising doctors’ role in shaping the future generation.
IMA natl chief's plans
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dr R V Asokan, the newly elected national president of IMA, has outlined his plans to mobilise doctors for the upcoming parliamentary election. His primary focus is on educating candidates about the critical health issues facing the public.
To achieve this goal, he aims to provide leadership training to state and branch-level members. Expressing concern over several policy proposals put forward by the Central government, Dr Asokan is particularly worried about the service-insurance model suggested by Niti Aayog.
“We are concerned about the service-insurance model of Niti Aayog, integrating medical systems, patient data privacy and the attempts to change the secular nature of the medical profession,” he told TNIE.
According to him, Niti Aayog’s proposal of service-insurance model is an American model which is not suitable for a country like India. If we adopt the model, 90 crore people will have to buy their health insurance, he warned.
The IMA is also against the government’s proposal to integrate various medical systems, including AYUSH and modern medicine. Dr Asokan advocates for patient autonomy in choosing their preferred medical system. The IMA opposes the provisions of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), an agency for supporting integrated digital health infrastructure, expressing reservations about the privacy of patient data.
“Today the patient data belongs to the patient and the hospital and only a court can release it to the parties concerned. Even a husband cannot ask for his wife’s data. However, ABDM wants uploading of every patient’s clinical data from every hospital under dubious legal coverage. There are concerns about the privacy of patients because of the provision to sell the data to insurance companies and the pharma industry,” said Dr Asokan. In this regard, he said that the quality of consent has to be strengthened.
He also plans to address attempts to alter the secular nature of the medical profession, citing the recent change in the logo of the National Medical Commission as an example.