BHUBANESWAR: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday pressed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for an amendment to the Orissa Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2008, to bring private practitioners and hospitals under its purview. The law enacted by the Government to protect the doctors and medical institutions from attacks by public covers only the State-run institutions and their personnel. “Attacks on medical professionals are on the rise and the private practitioners and institutions are not spared. Keeping these sections out of coverage amounts to grave discrimination to the private practitioners who render equally valuable service to the people. Many other states like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Punjab have enacted the law covering the entire medical spectrum,” State IMA president Dr Bijay Kumar Mishra said during the inauguration of the Bhubaneswar IMA Institute by the Chief Minister. The IMA State Unit urged the Chief Minister to amend the Act by an ordinance and present it as a gift to the medical fraternity on July 1, which is observed as the Doctors’ Day. Addressing the IMA members on the occasion, Naveen said the Institute would play an important role in not only updating the knowledge of doctors but also promoting research and awareness on health among the people. National IMA president Dr. Binoy Agarwal called upon the Government to enhance medical infrastructure in the backward areas of the State. Setting up of medical colleges in districts, lagging in health services and facilities, can be an answer, he suggested. The IMA has also urged the Government to allot land to the district branches for setting up their own institutes which would help improve health service delivery system. Among others, IMA secretary Dr KK Panigrahi and Chairman of IMA Institute Dr AK Mishra spoke.
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