COIMBATORE, OCT 21: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is contemplating to file Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against those who claim through TV commercials that AIDS and diabetes as curable diseases.Giving this information at a press conference here, IMA Coimbatore chapter President, Dr L P Thangavelu said of the 52 types of diseases declared incurable by WHO, AIDS and diabetes were claimed as curable in TV commercials and IMA was thinking of initiating legal proceedings against such claimants.Strongly condemning the broadcast of such claims on TV channels, Thangavelu said IMA would also urge the Centre to ban these broadcasts forthwith.When asked whether IMA was totally against Indian medicine systems like unani, sidha and ayurveda, he claimed that under the garb of practitioners of these systems `medical quacks' were prescribing allopathic medicines.IMA would also try to eradicate these `quacks' considered to be social evils with the help of the law enforcement department, Thangavelu said.He said Coimbatore branch was hosting the two-day 54th Tamil Nadu state medical conference, `medi-tex 2000,' in the city from October 28.Union Health Minister, C P Thakur would be the Chief Guest while his deputy A Raja would release a souvenir at the function, which would be inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Health Minister, Arcot N Veerasamy, he added.Stating that IMA had embarked upon a scheme to improve the health care scenario in the Indian context, Thangavelu said it would come out with a ``massive outreach programme'' to make it possible to provide free consultations to the economically weaker sections of the society.The Association would pursue a policy of continuous research and development programme to raise the profession to western standards, he said adding that IMA would hold orientation camps to educate people against AIDS, especially the driver community.IMA would urge the government to remove medical institutions from the list of `industrial category' and to classify them under `essential infrastructure' category. The centre would be urged to allocate more dunds for health sector, at least six per cent in the annual budget, as recommended by WHO.On removing some of the minor anomalies in the profession, Thangavelu said it would attempt to make it mandatory for medical practitioners to constantly upgrade their professional knowldedge through `continuing medical education' programme.IMA would also ask the medical practitioners to follow a code of ethics not to reveal directly or indirectly the results of ultrasound scanning as to the sex of the baby in an attempt to stop the menace of famale infanticide, he said.Considering the need for more self-motivated doctors to meet the challenges of ever increasing diseases, IMA suggested the increase of the number of seats in the self-financing medical colleges, without compromising on the quality of education, Thangavelu added.
