IMA’s 76th annual Central Council meet graced by Hon’ble Ministers, Govt. of India Sh JP Nadda, Dr Mahesh Sharma, Dr. Jitendra Singh and Sh Hansraj Gangaram Ahir

The second day of the NATCON 2015, the Indian Medical Association’s annual Central Council meeting organized by the Delhi Medical Association saw the presence of political leaders Dr Jitendra Singh – Hon’ble Minister of Atomic Energy, Space & PMO GOI, Sh Hansraj Gangaram Ahir – Hon’ble Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilisers, GOI, Sh J P Nadda – Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, GOI and Dr Mahesh Sharma –  Minister of State for Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation.

They deliberated with the 1000 Central Council members of IMA and addressed issues affecting the Indian medical community including the increased cases of violence against doctors, un-warranted media trials, redundant laws that need urgent amendments and the commercialization of the medical practice by its inclusion under the Consumer Protection Act.

Dr S S Agarwal was sworn in as the new IMA National President for the year 2015 – 2016 as Dr A Marthanda Pillai relinquished his post after the completion of his term. Dr K K Aggarwal will continue to serve as the Honorary Secretary General of the IMA for the upcoming year.

Taking his oath as the new IMA National President, Dr S S Agarwal said, “It is indeed a proud moment for me to take on the post of the IMA National President. I understand the immense responsibility that this comes with it and I assure each and every one of you that I will work with uttermost dedication and honesty over the next one year and will work towards strengthening the Indian medical fraternity of our country.”

Congratulating Dr S S Agarwal on his new role, Padma Shri Awardee Dr A Marthanda Pillai, Past National President IMA and Padma Shri AwardeeDr K K Aggarwal continuing Honorary Secretary General of IMA, in a joint statement said, “We congratulate Dr S S Agarwal on his new role as the National President of IMA for the upcoming year and hope that together we can work towards ending the increasing cases of violence against doctors and bring back the nobility of the profession as was there in the earlier days.

In his statement, Dr Jitendra Singh – Hon’ble Minister of Atomic Energy, Space & PMO, GOI said, “I congratulate team IMA for the work it is doing towards addressing the critical healthcare issues of our country”.

Adding to this, Sh Hansraj Gangaram Ahir – Hon’ble Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilisers, GOI said, “The nature of work being done by the IMA is commendable, and I wish the new team all the best for the coming term”.

Addressing the audience, Sh J P Nadda – Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, GOI said, “We condemn the increasing cases of violence against doctors in India and are working with the IMA to find ways to reduce these.“

Commenting on the nobility of the medical profession, Dr. Mahesh Sharma –  Minister of State for Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation said, “Doctors work tirelessly towards saving lives, and each one of us must respect the profession. Cases of medical negligence must be handled by the court of law and violence should be eliminated from the equation.”

Other notable speakers who interacted with the doctors included Sh. B.S. Bassi – Commissioner of Police Delhi, Mr. Nalin Kohli – political influencer and media personality and Dr. Ved Prakash Mishra, Chief Advisor, DMIMS.