COVID: IMA raises doctors issues in meeting with public representatives

To raise the issues faced by doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday organised an interactive session with public representatives from across India.

The session was attended by at least 40 public representatives including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP MPs Dr Vikas Mahatme, Dr Mahesh Sharma, and Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra among others.

According to Dr Jayesh M Lele, General Secretary of IMA, the topics discussed during the session included violence against doctors, the establishment of the 'COVID Martyrs fund' and support for families of doctors who died in the line of duty.

"We discussed violence against doctors, Infant Milk Substitutes (IMS) Act, Mixopathy. We also had a discussion about the exclusion of heath from the Consumer Protection Act, 2019," he said.

"One of the main issues we discussed was the establishment of COVID Martyrs fund, gallantry awards and support to their families," Dr Lele added.

During the first and the second wave of COVID-19, India has lost more than 1,492 doctors in the line of duty.

"Recently in June a video from Assam of a doctor being brutally attacked by the attendants of a patient who succumbed to COVID-19 went viral. We also demand a stringent law against such actions," said further.

( With inputs from ANI )