Over 4,000 doctors take part in strike

Functioning of private hospitals and clinics in the city were affected as doctors extended support to the nationwide strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) opposing the Medical Commission Bill on Tuesday. The IMA withdrew the strike in the afternoon after Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said that the Bill was be sent to a standing committee.

Office bearers of IMA said that more than 4,000 doctors working with 300-odd private and Government hospitals took part in the strike in Coimbatore. They said that emergency and critical services functioned in private hospitals. According to IMA office bearers, all hospitals functioned normally after strike was withdrawn in the afternoon. IMA had called for closure of all routine services in all hospitals and clinics for 12 hours from 6 a.m.

Outpatient services alone were suspended between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. The closure of OP at the peak hour led to distress among patients who had come to the hospital from distant places. Doctors also staged a demonstration wearing black badge at CMCH.

IMA office bearers said that the proposed National Medical Commission is not acceptable in its current form.

They also called the Bill as anti-poor, anti-people, non representative, undemocratic and anti-federal in character.

Staff Reporter adds from Tirupur

The Indian Medical Association (Tirupur branch) has claimed the agitation as a huge success following the decision announced in Parliament to refer the National Medical Commission Bill to the Standing Committee.

The doctors having private clinics did not hold outpatient consultancy from dawn to dusk on the day as part of the ‘Black day’ protest observed against the said Bill.

“It is an unwise idea proposed in the Bill to allow those practising alternative and traditional medicines to practise allopathic branch of medicine after the completion of a ‘bridge course’. End sufferers will be the patients if such a move got materialised”, pointed out S. Bharathi, vice-president of IMA (Tirupur branch).

Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Services S. Soundararajan said the outpatient consultancy at district headquarters and taluk-government hospitals in the district were held as usual on the day.