IMA to set up Model Health Village

The Indian Medical Association has decided to set up a 'Model Health Village' which can be replicated nationally by both the government and NGOs. 

"The 'Model Health Village' will have all parameters met within a year as defined by UN's Millennium Development Goals and would be operated under

the 'Aao Gaon Chalen Project' of IMA," said IMA national president Dr.A.Marthanda Pillai. 

In a statement here, IMA also said it has written to all its 1,700 branches to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat' initiative. 

"Almost 20 per cent of the disease burden can be reduced if all doctors in our country are sensitised about having their medical establishments follow hygienic principles. 

"They, in turn, motivate their patients to follow the principles of respiratory, food, water and hand hygiene," it said. 

IMA also expressed concern about the inclusion of 'cross pathy' in the National Health Policy (NHP), which has been put up by the Union Health Ministry on its website. 

Cross pathy is the practice of prescribing homoeopathy and ayurvedic drugs along with allopathy medicines. 

Under NHP, the government plans to train AYUSH doctors for a limited period of time in order to allow them to become mid-level healthcare providers. 

In that respect, IMA said it is "not against AYUSH as a branch taking the front position and wants AYUSH to progress in their respective fields". 

"However, IMA is against AYUSH doctors practising modern systems of medicine as that will cause more harm than benefit to the patients," it added.