Annual conference of IMA held

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, January 21

PIMACON, the 70th Annual IMA Punjab State Conference was inaugurated here by Manpreet Singh Badal, Finance Minister, Punjab. More than 1,000 doctors from across the state and adjoining areas are taking taking part. The conference is being held under the aegis of Punjab Medical Council is hosted by Hoshiarpur chapter of IMA.

In the two-day conference, 16 speakers from Dayanand Medical College, CMC Ludhiana, Govt Medical College Patiala , PIMS, Jalandhar, Adesh Institute Bathinda and other premier institutes, who are experts in their respective fields will share their experience.

Manpreet Singh Badal, in his address, agreed to consider the demand for an increase in health budget so that general public gets better facilities National President IMA Dr Ravi Wankhedekar and Dr RN Tandon Secretary General of IMA specially reached to bless this event. Manpreet Singh Badal in his address agreed to consider the demand of increase in health budget so that general public gets better facilities. Dr Wankhedeker discussed the National Medical Commission Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha recently.

He explained in detail the repercussions of the Bill on the doctors and the general public. He said on one hand the government wants to promote Ayush, and on the other, it is trying to introduce a bridge course for Ayush doctors to be equivalent to MBBS which will finish Ayurveda and Homeopathy in the country.

He also said with the passage of the NMC bill, there will be a mushrooming of medical colleges as there will be no check on the quality and the government will have no control on fees in more than 60 per cent seats.

Dr Tandon warned that NMC Bill, if passed in its present form, will make way for doctors from foreign countries, who are not even registered and are not even qualified as per the Indian standards to treat the patients.

Repercussions of the bill

• Mushrooming of medical colleges
• No govt check on fees of medical colleges
• Doctors from foreign countries can also practice  
• Introduction of bridge course equivalent to MBBS

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