Stating that the medical field needs to adopt ‘wellness instead of illness’ as its concept, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah Sunday stressed on the need to redefine the role of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and ethics of the medical field in the country.
Shah was addressing a national medical conference and installation ceremony of the newly appointed office bearers of the IMA in Ahmedabad.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Chief Patron of IMA Dr Ketan Desai and new IMA president Dr Anil Nayak were present, among others.
Referring to the IMA entering its 100th year in 2025 , Shah said, “After 100 years, the dimension of ethics of this field should be reconsidered. I would like to urge Ketanbhai (Desai) and Dr (Anil) Nayak that you form a team to redefine the ethics of this field; make it contemporary. The ethics and limits framed 100 years ago have not remained contemporary. And I think the IMA should make a suggestion to the government on including it (the new ethics) in medical education. Because a person does not become a good doctor merely by teaching medical science. All the dimensions of ethics of this field should be part of our education. And it is your responsibility to do it. Because nobody can impose ethics. It cannot be brought through law, it is a moral thing.”
Shah added that if the IMA does so, then it will increase the number of doctors who believe “seva (service) as their dharma (duty)”.
“I believe that these redefined ethics will take forward the respect (for doctors) in people’s minds for many decades and centuries,” he said.
Speaking on redefining the role of the IMA, the Union Minister said IMA has a big role in creating a healthy demography. He hailed the contribution of the IMA in serving the country, especially on occasions such as Covid-19 pandemic.
“…I can say on the basis of my experience and without any data that if there is any (group) which has maximum contribution in service, it is the IMA. For us it should be a matter of pride, but not of content. We should not be content because a lot is yet to be done,” the Union minister said.
“The role of IMA is not to put forward the demands of doctors before the government. I have not come to run away from it. The role of IMA should be to further strengthen health infrastructure and make it impenetrable…Now time has come when we have to rethink our contribution and the dimension of our work; how we want to take forward the country,” Shah said, adding that the medical field should adopt ‘wellness instead of illness’ as its concept.
The conference was attended by around 5,000 doctors from 27 states.
Shah urged doctors not to say anything which lowers the importance of Ayushman Bharat, and stores of generic medicines.
“The country consists of various kinds of social lives and patients of different levels. Nobody is having a competition with you. But at places where there is vacuum, it is to be filled. There is no objection if this process of filling the vacuum is not glorified, but many people who try to run it down – not all of them do that – should be stopped,” Shah said.
Shah said India has recorded a 97 per cent reduction in malaria cases and the country will be free of the disease in a “short time”.
“Thanks to various healthcare related schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Mission Indradhanush, we have recorded 97 per cent reduction in malaria cases and we will be almost free from malaria in a short time. The government has been able to bring down the mortality rate in dengue to just 1 per cent. There has been a 25 per cent reduction in maternal mortality,” he said.
“From Rs 37,000 crore in 2014, the Centre’s health budget now stands at Rs 1.28 lakh crore under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All these achievements happen when schemes are implemented on the ground. Work has also been done to bring about unprecedented changes in the health of citizens,” Shah added.
Shah concluded his speech while reiterating his suggestion of redefining the role of IMA and ethics of the medical field. “The trust of the entire country on its doctors should be strengthened. At the same time, one’s role and ethics should also be redefined,” Shah added.