National Integrated Medical Association

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The National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA) is an Indian non-governmental organization established in 1947. Integrated medical education was started nearly 75 years ago, and though the graduates coming out of these courses proved very successful practitioners ideal for the conditions of this country, the vested interests from both pure Allopathy and pure Ayurved camps, misguided the authorities and created various problems for integrated practitioners from the very beginning. Gradually the integrated medical community started organising itself to face the problems in an organised manner.

Contents

[edit] All India Conference

The first major attempt was of the establishment of National Medical Association of India in 1947, which soon spread its activities in northern states of the country. From 1953 onwards other Associations of Integrated practitioners were established in the states of Bombay, Mysore, and Madras, etc., with the names as Bombay State Integrated Medical Association (later Maharashtra State Integrated Medical Association and Gujrat State Integrated Medical Association), Integrated Associations of Mysore, etc. The attempt to bring all these associations together, materialised in 1966 at 5th A.I.C. of NIMA Conference under the Presidentship of Dr.Panna Lal Varshney and at the 7th All India Conference of NIMA held at Bhopal on 1.2.1969 the Constitution of the National Integrated Medical Association was adopted and thus NIMA was born.

[edit] First meeting

The first meeting of the NIMA Central Council was held at Delhi on 6.4.1969 which elected Dr.P.N.Awasthi (Bombay) as the president and Dr.K.S.Potdar (Delhi) as the General Secretary of NIMA.

[edit] Registration

The Association was registered under the societies Registration Act and Public Trust Act in 1971.

[edit] Branches

Today NIMA is the only all India organisation of the institutionally trained and qualified practitioners of Indian Systems of Medicine, who have undergone the conjoint study of Ayurveda/Unani/Siddha and Allopathy for a period of at least four years after Inter Science or XIIth std (10 + 2 years education). The Association has well organised branches in 17 states and in union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh.

[edit] Three tier system of NIMA

The Association has a three tier system in its working
i) Local/District Branch.
ii) State Branches/Territorial Branches.
iii) Central Council.

i) Minimum 11 eligible integrated practitioners from any town/city/area can come together and function locally as per the Constitution of NIMA.

ii) All Local/District Branches in a state form a State Branch of NIMA, which is governed by its state council. Local Branch Managing Committees send their representatives in proportion to the number of their members to the State Council. The State Council meets twice a year, elect its Office Bearers and carries out its duties for the entire State. The details regarding the working of the Local/District Branch and State Branches can be seen in the booklet of By-Laws of NIMA.

iii) The Central Council is formed by the representatives coming from all the State Councils every year. In proportion to their membership strength. The state Secretary is necessarily the first representative of the State Branch on the Central Council. The Central Council is the important body in which are vested the general control, management and direction of policy of the Association.

The central council in its annual meeting elects the Central Office bearers who form the Executive Committee of NIMA which executes the programme laid down by the Central Council.

[edit] Membership

To bring financial stability and to have labour of workers on enrolments of annual members, the Association has laid stress on enrolling maximim life members. The life membership subscription is kept in long term fixed deposit in a Nationalised Bank and the annual interest accrued on it is distributed. The Association has opened Associate Membership for non integrated qualified practitioners who believe in integration. The Association year for Branches is from 1 October to 30 September.

[edit] Activities and achievements

1. Formed a strong all-India organisation of the Integrated Medical Community in the country. Made the members bold and courageous. As a result of the organisation the Association nominees could win the election to the state Boards and Faculties in Maharastra, Punjab and the election to the CCIM.

2. Fought for the rights of integrated medical practitioners in all the States. Due to the efforts of the Association (including writ petitions in the High Court) the fight of integrated practitioners to practice modern medicine was established in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, HP, MP, and West Bengal etc. Today, in most of the states we are recognised as registered medical practitioners under the Drug Rules, 1945

3. The Association continuously strived for getting the Indian Medicine Central Council Bill properly amended since its introduction in the parliament and launched a big agitation against the injustice done to the integrated practitioners in the Bill, which won with the help of a number of advocates and friends in the Parliament of India. Though the protogonists of Shuddha Ayurveda with the support of the Health Minister of the Centre succeeded in withholding the amendments in our favour, the Association did not give up the fight and continued to pursue the issue with the Government, the Central Council of Health and the Central Council of Indian Medicine and as a result, has succeeded in getting many useful resolutions regarding the separate categorisation of the Integrated qualifications in the IMCC Act, passed in the meeting of the Central Council of Health and Central Council of Indian Medicine.

4. The Association stands for the establishment of the National System of Medicine by fusion of the best from our ancient Indian and Western system of Medicine, to suit the needs of the people of this country. The Association submitted a memorandum on the National Medical Education Policy and the National Health Policy to the Central Government and pleaded for its adoption in the Health Ministers Conference.

5. The Association representatives were nominated by the Union Government on the Health committee of the Planning Commission and its Task Force, the CCIM, the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee, FP Standing Committee, Scientific Advisory Committee of the CCRAS etc. The Government invited the Association representatives for CCH Meeting, a Health Ministers Conference and Family Planning conference.

6. National Service

(a) Funds: The NIMA raised funds for Cyclone Relief, Flood Relief, National Defence Fund etc. and paid sizable contributions to the Prime Minister and the CNS from time to time. The Association organised Flood/Famine Relief Team (for medical relief to the affected) in Bihar, UP, Delhi, AP, Maharashtra and Gujrat which were highly appreciated by the press, the public and the authorities.

b) Family Welfare: The work done by NIMA in the field of FW has been commendable with the strong help from the Family Planning Association of India and the Govt. the Association has organised 38 big conferences in all parts of the country to involve ISM & Homeopathic Practitioners in the National FW Programme. Through these conferences 12,000 practitioners were educated in all FP measures. The organisation of 17 district conferences in FW on 14 December 1986 simultaneously involving around 4000 practitioners of Maharashtra was a unique event and was appreciated by all. The Government of India has recognised the members of NIMA to undertake Vasectomy and Tubectomy operations as private practitioners. The involvement of members in the National Programme is increasing and The Association feels proud of it.

(c) Socio-Medical Services: Many Branches of NIMA regularly conducted free/cheap immunisation clinics health check-up camps, free diagnostic and treatment camps for TB, epilepsy, mentally retarded and operative camps for Cataract, physically handicapped and for family planning operations. Some Branches have adopted nearby villages for total health care. The Maharashtra Health Minister had announced in a Conference that the work of NIMA in Socio-medical services is the best among all the medical organisations in the country.

7. Fight for equal status and opportunities for integrated graduates employed in Government, ZP services and Ayurvedic Colleges etc.

The Association pleads with all authorities for equal status and opportunities for Integrated graduate with that for MBBS- in terms of pay scale, service conditions, allowances and promotions. The Association has succeeded in some states in getting pay scales and allowance revised, in getting appointments for its graduates as PHCs and getting promotions even after 15 to 20 years of Government Service. It was largely due to the continuous efforts of the association that Maharashtra Government decided to give 90% grants to Ayurvedic teaching institutions and equal pay scales and allowances to our graduates working as teachers in Ayurvedic College and as resident staff in hospitals.

8. Service to the Members a) The Association has attended to professional problems of individual members also its capacity and got grievances of many members redressed by pursuing them with the authorities.

9. The Association has built organisation of teachers in some Ayurvedic colleges, and of integrated specialists. Efforts are made to start refresher and regular training courses in various specialities for members through the Institute of Integrated Medical Sciences under NIMA.

Mutual Benefit Scheme - NIMA started this scheme to help the family of the member after his death, which is unique.