Hubballi: The nationwide call by the Indian Medical Association ( IMA ) to observe a black day condemning the tabling of the National Medical Commission Bill-2017 by the Centre, received a positive response. All OPDs remained closed in Hubballi city, excluding emergency health services.The Indian Medical Association, Hubballi chapter, observed a successful black day by closing all OPDs in hospitals and other medical institutions here.OPDs of major hospitals and others displayed a notice board of 'No OPD service' in their hospital premises. Many people who came for treatment from nearby villages and other places went without any treatment in the absence of doctors.The usual amount of patients were there at the KIMS hospital on Tuesday. KIMS staff said there was no rush. Dr Dattatraya Bant, director, KIMS, said normally on Tuesdays, there is less rush. He said normally 2,000 to 2,200 people register at the OPD. "As a precaution, we had doubled the staff at the OPD, so the strike didn't have much impact on the OPD," he added.Dr G B Sattur, president of the IMA Hubballi chapter, said the Medical Council of India, which was established in 1956 as per the IMC Act, is being proposed to get replaced by the National Medical Commission (NMC), as per the recommendations of the NITI Aayog. "If it happens, the whole modern medical system in India will get derailed and face irreparable stage. The problems in MCI are not due to the structure of the MCI, but due to its functions, which have been continuously interfered over the past three decades," he said."The bill proposes to induct non-medical people into the highest body of medical governance, changing its perspective and character forever, and introduces schedule IV to allow AYUSH graduates to get registration in modern medicine. As per the proposed NMC, in the future, the partly trained doctors from other systems of medicine (AYUSH) will be allowed to register and practice under the modern medical system, which will definitely increase the number of deaths due to medical negligence," he said.Sattur said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not aware of the bill, hence the memorandum will be forwarded to him.Mixed response to bandh in BelagaviThere was a mixed response in Belagavi to the nationwide bandh call given by the IMA on Tuesday, opposing the central government's decision of replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI) with the National Medical Commission (NMC).Many private hospitals closed their outpatient departments (OPD) in the morning, while some others closed their front doors, allowing patients in through the back door. Emergency treatment units were open as usual in all hospitals. The number of patients was slightly more at BIMS district government hospital, following the bandh call.Since Ayush doctors did not support the 'bandh', all Ayush clinics were open as usual. Kumar Hosamani, a patient from Khanapur, came to Belagavi for treatment. He said, "I was unaware about the bandh. After visiting one of the private hospitals, I came to BIMS hospital, and surprisingly, I was examined and treated by a doctor, as there was not a huge rush," he said.District health officer (DHO) Dr Appasaheb Naratti said the leaves of all government doctors and staff working in 156 primary health centres, 16 community health centres, 9 taluk hospitals, and BIMS hospital have been cancelled. "The required measures have been taken to tackle the probable rush of patients. There is a 10% to 15 % rise in number of patients. Till 1.30 pm, over 300 patients have been registered in the OPD of BIMS hospital," he said.However, in Chikkodi town, the bandh received a good response. Almost all private hospitals shut down their OPDs throughout the day.

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