10 April,2024 07:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Eshan Kalyanikar
IMA doctors hand over the two documents to Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Anil Desai
Doctors from the Mumbai branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have begun distributing their national-level charter of demands and a health manifesto to candidates from major parties participating in the upcoming elections. So far, these documents have been presented to Anil Desai, the Shiv Sena (UBT) South Central candidate, and Piyush Goyal, the BJP candidate for Mumbai North. Later this week, they intend to deliver them to BJP South Central candidate, Rahul Shewale.
"We have started distributing to politicians who have been declared as candidates. As more names come forward, the process will continue," said Dr Shivkumar Utture, IMA member and former professor at JJ hospital.
The charter of demands lists some of the issues the medical system has been experiencing for the past few years, like integrating Ayurveda with modern medicines. The charter calls for an immediate stop on attempts to mix other traditional systems with scientific medicine.
"This is the first time IMA will be doing this. We have translated some parts of the health manifesto in Marathi and plan on distributing to the citizens to highlight what the next government needs to do to improve the public health system," Dr Utture said.
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"The manifesto is for both, the politicians and the citizens, and calls for a tax-based system of health financing as contributory health insurance offers incomplete coverage and restricted services. It further calls for increased spending on healthcare," Dr Utture said .
Dr Utture added that while at present healthcare is probably not a primary factor for an Indian voter, "We do think that Indians will care more about public healthcare around elections if we keep pushing just like how it is in developed countries".
"Public healthcare needs to be completely free where no insurance scheme is needed, that is not the case now. Government insurance schemes ideally need to be only for private healthcare," Dr Utture said.
