Indian Medical Association doctors throughout Maharashtra have threatened to stop their work until further notice if their demands are not met in the next 7 days. On 15th September 15, all the IMA members who are owners of the hospital are going to submit copies of their hospital registrations to the IMA branch offices at several places. These respective branches will then appeal to the state government that they are not able to manage the hospitals as per the new rates. Dr Avinash Bhondwe, IMA Maharashtra President, said that they are going to urge the state to take the charge of the private hospitals.

The IMA has been protesting against the excessive rates that are forced by the state government for COVID hospitals. They also said that it is ever more difficult to meet the expenditures to manage the small and medium-sized private hospitals. It has demanded that the government should run all private hospitals.

Bhondwe said that almost 25,000 mid-sector hospitals are about to close. The government had approved the proposal of increasing the rates for the ICU and giving concessions in biomedical waste disposal charges along with the electricity bills. The government also agreed to cap the rates of PPE kits and masks for doctors and the charges of medical oxygen that are used by hospitals will also be reduced according to the central government’s regulations. It was to get finalised in a proposed meeting with IMA before 1st September.

IMA officials had said that the state alone came with new rates on 31st August and therefore the IMA decided to protest at a meeting on 4th September. On 9th September, the 216 IMA branches paid a tribute to doctors serving in Maharashtra and also burnt their symbolic copies of medical council registrations.

IMA Maharashtra had arranged a meeting of 14 different medical organisations of all the pathies, which includes Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani and Dentistry along with all the disciplines of modern medicine and specialties on 12th September. These organisations supported the agitation and had decided to form a joint action committee for working together.

Source: The Indian Express