20.04.2018

New Delhi

Beloved Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji

The patriarch of the family always speaks about his sons and daughters with pride especially with the strangers. This is our culture. Indian doctors have brought international acclaim and repute due to their world class proficiency and skill. Engaging in small talk  and  maligning the entire medical fraternity in India with broad brush  on foreign soil was certainly not expected out of the Prime Minister of the country. The Health system of the country from where you commented on Indian doctors would collapse without Indian doctors. IMA expresses its displeasure on your unfortunate remarks. We presume this is in no way connected with our resistance to the pro rich NMC Bill 2017. Doctors of this country are being suppressed and exploited by every means possible.  The onus of the mess in Health care squarely falls on the successive Governments including yours.

• IMA has declared its support for use of generic drugs. The only hitch is the issue of quality assurance. The current level of quality testing by the Government is less than 1% of the total drugs manufactured. In such a state of affairs how can doctors betray the confidence of the patients and support the populistic posturing of the Government ?

• IMA has supported and espoused the  Jan Oushadhi Scheme of 2008 . IMA hqs itself has an outlet of Jan Oushadhi drugs. We assure you Mr Prime Minister, the day you are able to assure the quality of all the drugs manufactured in India, you will not find the doctors of this country wanting.

• India has a robust price control policy for drugs. This being so why does the Government allow huge profit margin in the Pharmaceutical industry?

• Why is a pharma company allowed to price the same drug categorised under different names with different profit margins?

• Doctors of this country are in no way in control of the price of drugs or stents.

We wish to point out that your unfortunate remarks have brought disrepute  to Indian doctors  and India. To that extent the goodwill and trust invested in you by Indian doctors stands diminished.

With respects

Dr Ravi Wankhedkar Dr R N Tandon

National President IMA Hony Secretary General IMA