IMA to back boycott of classes by medical students across Kerala tomorrow

KOLLAM: The Indian Medical Association (IMA), opposing the Union government's move to constitute a National Medical Commission to replace the Indian Medical Council, has expressed solidarity with the protest of medical students across the country on Wednesday. The medicos will boycott their classes in the forenoon as part of the protest. “The Centre's move is purely anti-democratic and condemnable," said Dr C.R. Jayasankar, IMA district chief.

"The medical council solely includes elected representatives while the proposed commission will have only nominated members. The council currently has 168 members including government doctors, private practitioners, and medical teachers. The new move is to introduce a 20-member panel with nine government staff and the rest nominated by the government,” he said The IMA also opposes the move to impose a national exit test (NEXT) for those completing MBBS and to give registration to only those pass the test. They allege it would demoralise students.

“Conducting a 2-hour objective model test will not be enough to evaluate students who acquire vast knowledge more than five years. It is ironical that this test is not applicable to those who pursue medical degrees abroad and come back to practice here,” he added. When contacted IMA state president Dr V G Pradeep Kumar said their association will support the stir. “This is perhaps for the first time after Independence that the entire medical student community is going on a strike,” he said.