June 2021

Dear Members,

Seasons greetings!
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the entire medical fraternity, right from day one, has been battling at the frontlines in the war against coronavirus and has been able to save millions of people from the clutches of severe COVID-19 infection and in the bargain, it has lost more than 1400 of its proactive veterans and dynamic younger ones as martyrs in this war against COVID-19.

It is government’s proactive innovation of rolling out vaccination which is solely instrumental in safeguarding thousands of persons from being victims of corona and protecting them against the severe symptoms of the disease. IMA, right from day one, has been proactively standing with the Government to encourage, endorse and augment the vaccination drive in the nation.

However, we are very much anguished and pained to once again that the continuing attempts of certain people to propagate the disbelief and misinformation in relation to the vaccines and the evidence based scientific protocols of Modern Medicine released from time to time by the Ministry of Health, Government of India along with the guidance of ICMR and the Covid-19 Task Force.

Many young doctors have also lost their lives on account of their dedicated service to thousands of people – which has affected not only the Doctors but also many of their close family members. There are cases where both husband and wife being doctors have lost their lives, leaving behind their children as orphans. IMA is maintaining a registry of all such cases, and we periodically submit these details to the authorities seeking recognition and support for these families.

In the midst of this pandemic, we are also deeply hurt to see the increasing incidents of physical violence against the doctors and the health care professionals in this country. The brutal assault on our young Doctor in Assam and the assault on lady doctors and even on veteran practitioners across the country – are really causing mental trauma amongst the practitioners.

With the continuous and ongoing physical and mental assault on our doctors as well as purposeful spread of misinformation against modern medicine and vaccination by certain people with vested interests – IMA is constrained to once again appeal to our Prime Minister Shree Narendra Modiji to personally intervene and resolve
our long pending pleas including the following: –
● Any person(s) who spreads misinformation against the vaccination drive which is meant to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, must be booked and punished in accordance with law including under the relevant provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005. All such acts
of omission and commission on behalf of any person raising doubts in the minds of the common public against the protocol guidance issued by Ministry of Health for treatment of COVID-19 infected patients – ought to be suitable punished and simultaneously, any attempt of any person to fool the gullible public and promote socalled “magic remedies” or “wonder drugs” without the approval of the Ministry of Health, Government of India – ought to be
immediately curtailed.
● The Health Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019, which seeks to punish people who assault on-duty doctors and other healthcare professionals by imposing a jail term of up to 10 years – which, apparently, was dismissed by the Home Ministry during an inter-ministerial consultation over the draft law, ought to be promulgated immediately along with the incorporation of provisions from the IPC / CrPC and with stipulations for a fixed time schedule for speedy conclusion of trials. All those involved in such heinous crimes ought to be punished so as to also create an effective deterrent for other antisocial elements who may indulge in attacking any Health care professionals.
● The doctors who have lost their lives in the war against the COVID-19 pandemic ought to be recognised as COVID MARTYRS with due acknowledgment of their sacrifice. Their families ought to be duly supported by the Government. We thank you for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana scheme under which insurance benefits are being extended to such families, however, we wish to bring to your kind notice that due to various obstacles in the
procedural implementation of the Scheme, out of 754 doctors who had lost their lives in the first wave, families of only 168 Doctors have been able to apply under this Scheme. IMA requests you to create an effective mechanism for identifying and verifying all these victims through the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI) and also ensure that the support shall be given to all the said families as solatium at their door steps.
● IMA believes that vaccination is the only weapon to promote and empower our country to get over the pandemic and to protect our vulnerable population. It is gratifying to note that only .06 % of people who have received both the doses of vaccine got minimal infection by a coronavirus, and very rarely did vaccinated people have any severe infection. It is well proved, that by vaccination we can save our people and country from the catastrophic cascades of
this severe infection. Even worldwide, vaccination has been found to be the most effective solution to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and prevent the loss of lives to the maximum extent possible. Hence, the Government should promote universal free vaccination to all above 18 years of age without leaving the vaccines to the extent of 50% to the states and private hospitals.

We believe that only when a strong leader like you leads this programme, the full benefit shall reach out to all people.
● The post COVID-19 complications of lung fibrosis, increased thrombotic events and fungal infections are on the rise and we need to get prepared for the same. The drugs needed for the mucormycosis fungal disease are not available with ease and we thank you for the efforts taken to import the said drugs and simultaneously augment indigenous production. We appeal to you to set up a separate research cell to study these post COVID-19
complication in detail and to come out with multi-faceted treatment guidelines in all disciplines of Medicine.

The IMA NATIONAL PROTEST DAY on 18th June observed by almost all Local branches of IMA GSB, wrote a letter to our Honorable Prime Minister Shree Narendra Modiji & hand over memorandum to Local MP/ MLA/Collector/Mamlatdar to secure smooth, cooperative and optimum milieu for Modern health care professionals which will enable them to work with much more compassion and dedication and without any fear of mental or physical harm.

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