Maha polls: Indian Medical Association releases first-ever health-centric manifesto
For the first time in the Maharashtra assembly elections, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the nation’s largest non-governmental medical organisation, has released a health-focused manifesto, drawing political attention to critical healthcare issues.
Released on Monday, the manifesto addresses assaults on healthcare workers, biomedical waste management, working conditions of resident doctors, and the quality of medicines among other issues.
Dr Dinesh Thakur, president of IMA Maharashtra, said, “IMA routinely monitors healthcare and medical education reforms, providing recommendations to the government. The state government has a moral duty to ensure quality, affordable healthcare for all, and to maintain a safe environment for doctors and healthcare institutions. This manifesto presents a health agenda for all parties contesting the state elections.”
Dr Thakur added, “We will meet each political candidate to emphasise the importance of this agenda, with IMA members in each constituency engaging local candidates on these issues.”
Dr Saurabh Sanjanwala, IMA Maharashtra secretary, outlined the manifesto’s nine focus areas saying, “Our agenda covers attacks on healthcare, hospital registration processes, and biomedical waste management. We also address fire safety approvals, the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY), resident doctors’ working conditions, medical education reforms, high bonds for medical students, the Maharashtra Medical Council’s governance, and drug quality control.”
With a membership of over four lakh allopathic doctors nationally and more than 50,000 doctors across 227 branches in Maharashtra alone, the IMA represents a substantial segment of healthcare providers, most of whom serve in small to medium hospitals. The private sector delivers approximately 70% of healthcare in Maharashtra, making IMA’s advocacy particularly influential.
