Hyderabad: With no more than 20 per cent of the doctors voting for the Indian Medical Association elections in the past, young doctors standing for the November 7 elections have sought e-voting to make more members participate.
IMA has 6,000 members, of which only about 500 voted in the past. Over 3,000 doctors are registered with the city branches but are attached to clinics or hospitals some 20 to 30 km away.
Senior IMA member Dr Yadgiri Rao said, "The lower turnout for voting is seen for the last 10 years. Many are not willing to come to the city due to traffic and other hassles. Those who have private practice do not want to waste a day.
Young doctors say the medical body can work better to solve various issues of doctors, but many voices are not being heard now.”
Dr Arjun Raj, standing for the post of honorary secretary, says, "Young doctors are facing problems in establishing their clinics and they face a major problem with quacks in the rural and semi-rural areas. They require help and IMA can assist them.”
He said the first requirement is more involvement of members in voting. “Doctors approach IMA when they are attacked or in similar situations. Motivating members to vote is important as that will lead to better selection of office-bearers," Dr Raj said.
The elections are for 80 posts. Some doctors from far-away places arrange transport to ensure that there is the basic minimum voting. Other doctors plead for e-voting so that it can be done from any place. There is also a need to digitize the database so that the members can be easily contacted, they say.
Young doctors want the IMA to be more interactive and accessible wherein it can hold academic sessions, listen to grievances and dispel “myths” or check misinformation campaigns against the medical fraternity.
