PM Narendra Modi assures exit from NCRT’s ‘book of shame’

‘Modicine’ for Doctors’  Trauma

New Delhi, July 23: Doctors’ fraternity, the usual suspects in society, has writhed in image ‘trauma’ time and again.

First, Amir Khan’s TV program ‘Satyamev Jayate’ knifed them no end. Not long ago, blockbuster film ‘Gabbar is Back’ hit them no less. And now, the NCRT’s ‘book of shame’ wherein doctors have been painted black for posterity.

Common to all humiliations heaped on doctors so far has been that they had to fend for themselves and had often to suffer in silence. But this time around, help has come for the much maligned fraternity and that too straight from PM Narendra Modi.

Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, General Secretary, IMA (Indian Medical Association), the apex trade union of allopathic doctors, told meditoall editor Dhananjay Kumar that deletion of the humiliating essay from NCERT book is a fait accompli. He has been assured of that from the powers that be.

IMA had sent SOS letter to PM Narendra Modi after the chance viewing of essay by a Chandigarh doctor. IMA has been informed through a letter from PMO that PM has instructed the education department to do the needful.

NCERT (National Council of Education Research) social science text book for class VII contains a very derogatory essay in which private doctors have been painted as unconscionable money makers in sick room. IMA has demanded immediate deletion of the humiliating paragraph failing which IMA threatened it would be compelled to sue the text book agency. IMA also wrote angry letters to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Minister for Human Resource Development, Smriti Iran.

The book was published way back in 2007 and reprinted in December last year. Chapter 2 of the book has an essay titled ‘Role of Government in health’ which contains the disparaging description under the sub heading, ‘Private health Facilities’. It reads, ‘In order to earn more money, these private services encourage practices that are incorrect. At times cheaper methods, though available, are not used. For example, it is common to find doctors prescribing unnecessary medicines, injections or saline bottles when tablets or simple medicines can suffice.’

The book also contains a comic strip that delineates difference between public and private hospitals. Private hospital doctors have been painted as rank profiteers prescribing medicines which are not necessary.