NEW DELHI, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- India's Health Ministry has asked all federal government hospitals to take necessary steps to ensure that healthcare and emergency services not be affected by a strike call from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against new medical law.
IMA called on Indian doctors and nurses to suspend routine services for 12 hours on Tuesday to protest against a bill that seeks to replace the Medical Council of India with a new body.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which was tabled at the Indian parliament last week, is likely to come up for discussion on Tuesday.
The bill also proposes to allow practitioners of alternative medicines, such as homoeopathy and ayurveda to practice allopathy after completing a bridge course.
IMA has been strongly opposing the bill, saying it will "cripple" the functioning of medical professionals.
Reports said IMA members also held a meeting with Health Minister J P Nadda and conveyed their concerns over the new bill. The association has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to redraft the bill and rectify some of its provisions to protect the interest of medical practitioners.
According to IMA, the provision which allows homoeopathy and ayurveda graduates to practise modern medicine after completing a bridge course will promote "quackery."
