Hyderabad: Outpatient services at many Government and private hospitals in Telangana were hit after doctors went on strike as part of a nationwide call by IMA for 24 hour withdrawal of non-essential services to protest passage of the National Medical Commission bill.

Sanjeev Singh Yadav, Secretary, Telangana wing of the Indian Medical Association, claimed that barring a few corporate hospitals, about 16,000 IMA member doctors and over 10,000 medical students participated in various forms of protests across the state.

He said emergency and in patient services were not affected as they were exempt from the strike. "Barring a few corporate hospitals, doctors in all hospitals, including in the government, participated in the strike. There was no disruption of emergency services and inpatient treatment," he said

About 16000 member-doctors of IMA, Telangana and over 10,000 students of various medical colleges also took part in the strike. Yadav alleged that the bill provides for licensing of 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practice modern medicine, which would endanger the lives of the people.

The bill, passed by Lok Sabha on Monday, provides for setting up a National Medical Commission in place of Medical Council of India for development and regulation of all aspects of medical education, profession and institutions.

It also has a provision for making national standards in medical education uniform by proposing that the final year MBBS exam be treated as an entrance test for PG and a screening test for students who graduate in medicine from foreign countries. PTI

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