Mangaluru: Even as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Action Committee has declared Black Day on January 2, the Manglauru unit of the organisation held a candlelight protest in the city on Monday to oppose the proposed National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill.

As decided by the IMA Action Committee all the routine services in private hospitals barring emergencies, will remain closed for 12 hours from 6am to 6pm on Tuesday in the district too. IMA coastal divisional coordinator Dr Annayya Kulal told that only emergencies and critical cases will be attended to on Tuesday.

He said the NMC bill in the present form is not acceptable. “This bill is anti-poor, anti-people, non-representative, undemocratic and anti-federal in character. IMA Medical Student’s Network has already declared a strike.

We have Medical Council of India comprising modern medicine experts set up through MCI Act 1956 and it has been governing modern medicine including registration of eligible graduates, giving recognition to new colleges based on adequate facilities, deciding the curriculum and issues of ethics.

All of a sudden, the central government has tabled the draconian NMC bill in the Parliament. IMA at the national, state and local levels has decided to protest against the bill, which seeks to abolish MCI,” Kulal said quoting IMA state president J A Jayalal.

He said that the bill allows Ayush doctors to get registered under the modern medicine and license to practice modern medicine. “It brings non-medical people like advocates, chartered accountants and social activists into the highest body of medical governance.

It restricts the voting right of all the doctors in India in electing their own representative body. We oppose the bill totally and demand that the MCI be revived in its current form,” he added.