January 2017

Dear Members,
Season’s Greetings! All of you might have enjoyed happily the Kite festival ‘Makarshakranti’ with your Friends and Family members.

We convey our best wishes as India has celebrated its Republic Day on 26th January 2017.

IMA NATION-2016 – National conference of IMA was held at Amritsar, Punjab on 27th & 28th December 2016 and New team of IMA (HQ) was installed under the leadership of Dr.K.K.Agarwal.

Proud of Gujarat and Our Beloved IMA Leader Dr. Ketanbhai Desai, President World Medical Association (WMA) was Chief Guest of Installation ceremony. Large number of members of GSB IMA have attended and enjoyed the hospitality of Punjab.

A Memorable GSB IMA State Working Committee Meeting was held at Amargarh Resort, Udaipur on 7th January 2017, It was well organized and followed by wonderful musical evening by Dr. Gurudatt Thakkar and his team.

In this month we lost our very active member and close friend Dr. Ashok D. Kanodia who was Hon. Secretary of Ahmedabad Medical Association. He also remained as a Past Hon. Secretary of G.S.B.I.M.A. and also Past Hon. Joint Secretary of IMA (HQ).This is an immense loss to the whole GSB IMA. He has always actively contributed in all
the activities of the IMA.
We also lost our State Working Committee member & Zonal Representative Dr. Mangalam Rathod.

On behalf of all the members of GSB IMA, we pray to the Almighty to give eternal peace to the departed souls and courage to the family to bear this irreparable loss. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has prepared a draft Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to introduce amongst others, Exit Examination
for MBBS level, combined counseling for admission in UG level and PG level and reservation of upto 50% of the seats of Post Graduate Course for Medical Officers. IMA oppose this proposed draft on basis :

WHY NO TO EXIT (NEXT) EXAM?
1. This appears not justified on the basis as to why the uniform entrance examination (NEET) provided for postgraduate medical study as provided in section 10-D is now being substituted by uniform national exit test (NEXT).

2. There is further no purpose and object to achieve by introducing NEXT exam at undergraduate level when the students who have already qualified MBBS course and they are compelled to clear NEXT exam for the purpose of their registration in MCI register and eligibility to practice. This amounts to duplicity and conflict of interest.

3. What will be the future of those students who fail to pass the NEXT exam? 4.5 years of medical student has spent in medical college will be a waste. There is already paucity of doctors in India. Failed medical students will be
thrown out of pool of doctors.

4. How it will be provided that the same exam NEXT shall be for undergraduate and postgraduate level both when NEET is already there for both undergraduate and postgraduate levels?.

5. The proposed amendment in section 13 to forgo the screening test for those students who possess medical qualifications from foreign country. This is in sharp contradiction to Indian students who are required to pass NEXT even after having qualified MBBS and foreign qualified students who are not even required to go through the process of screening test as was always provided in the main Act.

6. On one side, some State Governments are allowing AYUSH doctors to practice modern medicine after 1 year of bridge course and on the other hand, the same Government, is compelling MBBS passed students to clear one more exam to get license to practice.

All over India, Medical Students of 462 Medical Colleges will join in protest against this on 1st February 2017, Wednesday.

Our GSB IMA is also sensitizing and involving medical students of 20 medical colleges of Gujarat, to show our unity and strength.
All the local branches of IMA concerned with medical colleges are requested to galvanize in to the action.
Let us make 1st February as our date with determination.

Long Live IMA.