Odisha unit of IMA calls off strike after NMC Bill sent to select committee

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) called off its strike after the government agreed to its demand and sent the National Medical Commission Bill, 2017 to a select committee.

“We have decided to call off the strike hearing the government has sent the proposed bill to Parliamentary standing panel,” said IMA Odisha unit Secretary Janmejaya Mohapatra.

Hundreds of medicos went on a protest march from Power House Chhak to Raj Bhawan Square here holding banners and placards lending support to the 12-hour shutdown of OPD services at all private hospitals in the country.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a 12-hour shutdown of all private hospitals in the country on Tuesday to protest the “anti-people and anti-patient” National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017, that seeks to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI).

The IMA has 2.77 lakh members, which includes Corporate Hospitals, Poly clinics and Nursing homes, across the country.

While private hospitals in other states followed IMA’s call to keep OPDs shut for 12 hours, the national capital saw a mixed response.

Several big corporate hospitals, including Apollo, BLK Super specialty and Sir Ganga Ram among dozen others, preferred to keep their OPDs operational.