The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Association of Medical Consultants, Mumbai has expressed disappointment over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement in London where he had alleged nexus between doctors and pharmaceutical companies and said that Indian doctors attend conferences abroad to promote these companies. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) have written a letter to the Prime Minister expressing their dissent over his statement. Text of the Letter is as follows:-
20.04.2018 New Delhi
Beloved Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji
The patriarch of the family always speaks about his sons and daughters with pride especially with the strangers. This is our culture. Indian doctors have brought international acclaim and repute due to their world class proficiency and skill. Engaging in small talk and maligning the entire medical fraternity in India with broad brush on foreign soil was certainly not expected out of the Prime Minister of the country. The Health system of the country from where you commented on Indian doctors would collapse without Indian doctors. IMA expresses its displeasure on your unfortunate remarks. We presume this is in no way connected with our resistance to the pro rich NMC Bill 2017. Doctors of this country are being suppressed and exploited by every means possible. The onus of the mess in Health care squarely falls on the successive Governments including yours.
- IMA has declared its support for use of generic drugs. The only hitch is the issue of quality assurance. The current level of quality testing by the Government is less than 1% of the total drugs manufactured. In such a state of affairs how can doctors betray the confidence of the patients and support the populistic posturing of the Government ?
- IMA has supported and espoused the Jan Oushadhi Scheme of 2008. IMA hqs itself has an outlet of Jan Oushadhi drugs. We assure you Mr Prime Minister, the day you are able to assure the quality of all the drugs manufactured in India, you will not find the doctors of this country wanting.
- India has a robust price control policy for drugs. This being so why does the Government allow huge profit margin in the Pharmaceutical industry?
- Why is a pharma company allowed to price the same drug categorised under different names with different profit margins?
- Doctors of this country are in no way in control of the price of drugs or stents.
We wish to point out that your unfortunate remarks have brought disrepute to Indian doctors and India. To that extent the goodwill and trust invested in you by Indian doctors stands diminished.
With respects
Dr Ravi Wankhedkar
National President IMA
the P M has correctly said that there is nexues between the Doctors and the pramaceutical companies as most of doctors prescribe unwarranted tests x rays,ultra sound and different type of medicines of highest cost values.they do charge heavily with poor patients ,construct unauthorised nursing homes with very /non facilities just to extract money in emergency cases and after extracting full money they throw the patients on road side,refer to some other doctor/hospitals to further extract money from a dying persons they go the USA/other other countries just to earn money after availing all type of subsidies given by the poor tax payer of the country therefore IMA should apolige with the citizens of country for very poor behaviour of their members.
THE VARIOUS MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS SHOULD NOT HAVE WRITTEN COURTEOUS LETTERS TO NARENDRA MODI. MODI IS NOW FULL OF ARROGANCE AND HE HAS GIVEN HIMSELF LIBERTY OF ABUSING ANYONE IN THE COUNTRY. IT IS ONLY PROFESSIONALS AND HONEST BUSINNESSMEN WHO HAVE BROGHT PROSPERITY AND REPUTATION TO THE NATION.NATURE OF THE SERVICES RENDERED BY THE POLITICIANS AND BUREAUCRATS ARE INTERNATINALLY KNOWN AND FROWNED UPON.