CHALLENGES FOR MEDICAL PROFESSION AND ROLE OF IMA-CRITICAL REVIEW

HI FRNDS,I AM PRESENTING HERE THE ESSAY THAT I HAve SUBMITTED TOWARDS DOCTOR DAY CONTEST BEING CONDUCTED BY INDIAN MEDICLA ORGANIZATION.PLEASE KINDLY SEND YOUR COMMENTS.



INTRODUCTION:
IN THIS TECH-SAVVY WORLD WHEN NEW TECHNOLOGY IS DEVELOPED AS EACH DAY PASSES NEW DISEASES ALSO CROP UP POSING AN CHALLENGE TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.BUT EACH TIME AN CHALLENGE ARISES SOME SOLUTION ARISES FROM MEDICAL WORLD.THAT IS THE SPIRIT BEHIND THIS WONDERFUL FRATERNITY WHICH PROTECTS HUMANS.

BUT NOT TO FORGET,AS PRESSURE PILES UP FROM VARIOUS CORNERS DUE TO NUMEROUS DEVELOPMENTS WE NEED TO FACE THE CHALLENGES THAT ARISES WE NEED TO EVALUVATE OURSELVES TO FACE THIS CHALLENGES.

MEDICAL PROFESSION FACES CHALLENGE FROM THE FOLLOWING
1.)EVER INCREASING NEW LAWS OF GOVERNMENT&ITS INCREASING NEGATIVE FEATURES.

2.)MOB JUSTICE

3.)HEALTH INFRASTRUCTRE DEFICIT

4.)INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGES

5.)PUBLIC HEALTH

6.)KEEPING PACE WITH DEVELOPMENT

7.)CLIMATE CHANGE CRISIS&HEALTH

8.)ANTI-QUACKERY MOVEMENT
9.)FACING MISTUST-MEDIA MANAGMENT

10.)RESTRUCTRING MEDICAL EDUCATION AND IMPORTANCE OF CME

NEGATIVE FEATURES POSED BY NEW LAWS OF GOVERNMENT:

THERE ARE WORRISOME SUGGESTIONS,CLAUSES THAT IS SEEN IN MANY COMMITTEES SET UP BY THE GOVERNMET.THE PRENATAL DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES ACT IN 1994 WAS AMENDED IN 2003 TO INCLUDE MORE REGULATIONS MONITORING MEDICAL PERSONNEL.IN THE RECENT CENSUS THAT WAS CONDUCTED EVNTHOUGH OVERALL SEX RATIO HAS INCREASED TO 940 THE SEX RATIO OF YOUNG AGE GROUP 0-16 YEAS HAVE SHOWN A DECLINE TO 914.WHY??

THE DECLINING SEX RATION CANNOT BE VIEWEDSINGLY AS AN MEDICAL ISSUE.RATHER THEN APPROACHING THE PROBLEM SUPERFICIALLY GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO ACT TAKING THE SOCIAL CAUSES INTO ACCOUNT.

THE CAUSES EMBEDDED IN THE SOCIETY SHOULD BE FOUND AND DEALTH WITH RATHER THEN OVEREGULATING THROUGH AN LICENSE RAJ.

CLINICAL ESTABLISHMENT (REGISTRATION®ULATION )BILL 2010 WAS PASSED BY THE GOVERNMENT WITHOUT CONSIDERING SEVERAL ISSUES RAISED BY IMA.THIS SATUTE RAISED SEVERAL CRITICAL CONCERNS.

IGNORING THE SOCIAL ASCPECT IF GOVERNMENT KEEPS ON PROPOSING 7PASING LAWS LIKE ABOVE TARGETING THE MEDICAL FIELD ONLY IT WILL PILE UP PRESSURE ON DOCTORS SCATTERING THEIR RESOURCES,TIME .

UNWARRANTED INTRUSION ON PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENCE OF MEDICAL PROFESSION WILL ONLY LEAD TO FLOODGATES OF COUNTLESS LITIGATION BEING FILED WHICH WILL ONLY PROVE DETERMIENTAL TO SOCIETY.

ATTEMPT BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA IN CREATING HIGH ARCHING BODY IN PLACE OF MCI IS AN WRONG MOVE WHICH SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO TAKE PLACE. a distinction has to be made in respect of medical education as it is connected to the treatment of patients.YASPHAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED TREATING HIGHER EDUCATION AS A WHOLE. treatment of patients cannot be delinked from medical services being provided by the affiliated teaching hospital, which will not be the case with other higher areas of education.

AUTONOMY OF MCI SHOULD NOT BE COMPROMISED MORES TRUCTRAL CHANGES CAN BE BROUGHT BY GOVERNMENT RATHER THEN TRATING MEDICAL EDUCATION AS JUST EDUCATION FORGETTING THE LIFE SAVING JOB FOR WHICHTHEY ARE PREPARED.

ANOTHER CALLENGE ARISES FROM THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL TO CREATE A THREE YEAR COURSE ON BACHELOR OF RURAL HEALTH CARE.
1.)IT DISCRIMANTES RURAL PEOPLE BY CREATING 2 CLASS OF DOCTORS ONE FOR RICH AND OTHER FOR POOR.
2.)IT WILL PRODUCE OFFICIAL QUACKS.
3.)IT WILL PRODUCE A NEW CLASS.
4.)WE CAN GIVE MORE TRAINING TO FEMALE &MALE HEALTH WORKERSAND EQUIP THEM.
5.)IT IS NOT TRUE THAT DOCTORS ARE NOT READY TO WORK IN RURAL AREAS .RATHER THEN GOVERNMENT PASSING LAWS IT SHOULD AIM TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTRE IN RURAL AREAS.

2.) MOB JUSTICE :

A doctor is revered as somebody who can give the gift of life. However, we often read and hear news about doctors being attacked or killed by a patient’s family or friends, when there are alleged reports of negligence or just in case the patient dies. Various medical associations and groups of health care workers, including the Indian Medical Association, have stressed upon the need to prevent such incidents in the years. Doctors and hospital staff have cited their agitation and resentment by protesting against such incidents by holding strikes and processions.one thing is there are various method in which justice can be obtained.recentnews of one doctor being mercilessly beaten to death inside bihar jail when he did not act in favour of inmates malicious plans and postgraduate and crri students being beaten up even when patient dies.professional counselors should be made available in hospitals to counsel the family of terminally ill patients.

In the name of vigilant activism law is taken over by mobs which compromise doctors security .service doctors are hard pressed in performing duties due to excessive workload .

IIMA should work for optimal level of transparency+strong judicial system+quick prosecution of offenders+promoting good communication between doctors and patients+counseling of relatives.

Eventhoughmany states have enacted laws ima should act as an watch dog for implementation of laws.

3.)HEALTH INFRASTRUCTRE DEFICIT

WHILE INDIA IS THE SECOND LARGEST POPULATED COUNTRY AFTER CHINA AND SOON EXPECTED TO RISE TO FIRST POSITION INVESTMENT IN HEALTH IS LOW EVENACORDING TO GOVERNMET STANDARD.PRIVATEexpenditure on health in India is about 78% as compared to 14% in the Maldives, Bhutan(29%), Sri Lanka (53%), Thailand (31%) and China (61%).

SO INSTEAD OF GOVERNMENT INTERFERING WITH PRIVATE MEDICAL SETUP IT SHOULD SUPPLEMENT IT THEREBY PROVIDING MORE RESEARCH FACILTIES AND ALLIED HEALTH PERSONNELS AND TRAINED SUPPORT STAFF.we are still far way from 3-4%budgetory allocation for health.organizations like ima should fight for this.

4.)international challenges
How we are going to use telemedicine,medical tourism to our advantage inspite of accusations like ground zero of tropical diseases and antibiotic resistance.india suffers 30 billon dollar only in dengue not to say about other tropical diseases.IMA SHOULD TAKE UP THE FIGHT AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES .

ADVOCATIONG RATIONAL ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY PREVENTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESISTANT MICROORGANISMS

5.)PUBLIC HEALTH
PROMOTING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE of public will equip medical professionals better to face health.spending power of Indian middle class,educated &demanding patients pose new challenges to medical profession.

Ima should support government programmes like national rural health mission&rashtriya swasthya bima yojana and other schemes.planners also should take the suggestions of ima for facing success.

6.)KEEPING PACE WITH DEVELOPMENT

Historically, the medical profession has considered patents on medical inventions as contrary to the philanthropic nature of the physician's practice. Almost 80 foreign countries, including Canada, Britain, and most countries in Europe, currently ban medical procedure patents.

But we have to be conscious of new patent regimens emerging for medical procedure.
The first reported effort by an American physician to enforce a medical method patent against a colleague failed last month in a federal district court in Burlington, Vermont. Judge William Sessions III ruled, in the landmark case, that an eye surgeon who used a patented procedure for stitchless cataract incisions on a patient was not liable to the physician-plaintiff for infringement. The closely-watched case had prompted Congress last fall to consider legislation that would ban or severely restrict the utility and profitability of patents on medical or surgical procedures.ima should act as an peoples organization protecting peoples interests.

7.)CLIMATE CHANGE CRISIS AND CHALLENGES
WHILE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES LIKE U.K,U.S ARE MORE RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE DEVLOPING COUNTRIES &LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES FACE MORE HEALTH CHALLENGES.TACKLING DISEASES LIKE MALARIA POSES AN CHALLENGE TO MEICAL PROFESSION.IMA SHOULD PROMOTE ECORESPONSBILTY IN DISPOSING HOSPITAL WASTES AND GREEN HOSPITAL &OFFICE BUILDINGS.

8.)ANTI QUACKERY MOVEMENT
To protect innocent citizens from falling at the hands of wrongperson and for protecting the dignity of medical profession ima shouldcontinue fight against the quacks.

9.)FACINGMISTRUST-MEDIA MANAGMENT
WHATEVER WE DO ITS SUCCESS DEPRNDS ON HOW FAR WE REACH THE PEOPLE AND HOW FAR PEOPLE KNOWS WHAT WE DO.

PROPER COMMUNICATION CHANNELS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN MEDICAL PROFESSINALS AND MEDIA SO THE TRUTH BEHIND AN STORY SHOULD BE KNOWN AT THE SAMEE MOWNT AN PROBLEM OR SOME CONTROVESY ARISES.IT WILL LEAD TO REDUCTION OF HALF THE PROBLEM.


10.)RESTRUCTRINGMEDICAL EDUCATION &IMPORTANT OF CME
While restucring medical education is important views of medical fraternity should not be ignored in any way .as new development slike robotic surgery ,nanotechnology take us to new level through continuing medical education we should get updated which is always done by ima .


CONCLUSION:

1.)IMA SHOULD GET THE SUPPORT OF ENLIGHTENED PEOPLE 7PEOPLES REPRSENTATIVE IN FIGHTING ACTS THAT CURB THE INDEPENDENCE OF PROFESSION.WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT THERE WEE MANY SENSLESS ACTS THAT WERE REJECTED BY STANDING COMMITTEE OF PARLIMENT.


2.)IMA SHOULD DEMAND THE GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE BUDGETARY ALLOCATION AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH INFRASTRUCTRE RATHER THEN OVERSPENDING.

3.)THERE SHOULD BE A SINGLE WINDOW FOR LEGISLATION RELATED TO MEDICAL FIELD AND PROFESSINAL BODIES LIKE IMA SHOULD BE CONSULTED WHENEVER MEDICASL RELATED LAWS IMPLEMENTED.

4.)MORE PEOPLE CENTRIC PROGRAMMES SHOULD NE CONDUCTED BY IMA.CREATING HEALTH AWARNESS THROUGH PUBLIC CAMPAIGN WILL KEEP THE LIMELIGHT ON IMA.

5.)CAMPAIGN AGAINST INFECTIUS DISEASES ,NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND TROPICAL DISEASES SHOULD BE TAKEN TO NEXT LEVEL.

6.)SHOULD SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS TO PRODUCE MORE ADVANCED MEDICAL EQUIPMENTS,DRUGS ETC.IMA SHOULD ACT AS AN LINK BETWEEN INDUSTRY&GOVERNMENT.

7.)IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH,MAINTANING HONOUR &DIGNITYOF DOCTORS

8.)ANTIQUACKERY MOVEMENT.

9.)FIGHT FOR POSTIVE CHANGES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION WHENVER IMPLEMENTED.

ABOVE ARE THE SOME AREAS WHERE I.M.A SHOULD LEAD THE FIGHT.THANK YOU.