Former IMA president, Prof Dr Jayalal becomes Secretary General of Commonwealth Medical Association

Chennai: In significant news for India, Prof. Dr. J.A. Jayalal, former President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), has been elected as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Medical Association, a non-governmental organization working towards assisting and strengthening the capacities of national medical associations (NMAs) of countries within the Commonwealth.  

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule. It is an international organization in which countries with diverse social, political, and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status and cooperate within a framework of common values and goals. 

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The association announced the names of their new office bearers on Tuesday. The election for its office bearers for the period, 2022-2024 was held in Malaysia during the Annual executive meeting and council meeting from 4th to 6th November 2022. 

Dr. Jayalal, from Kanyakumari, is the professor and head of department, of Surgery, at Kanniyakumari Government Medical College. He was the president of IMA in 2021. The doctor is a fellow of Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow, and pursued his Ph.D. in Surgery. 

Dr. Jayalal said, "Ensuring affordable, accessible, sustainable, and quality healthcare to all people in Common Wealth Countries with mutual participatory symbiosis of countries shall be my priority and I will work with Governments to ensure Health for all a real dream in the future. Spreading violence against the medical fraternity needs immediate attention to ensure, a cream of students take up Medicine as a Profession. CMA will support indigenous Medicine but strive hard to maintain the purity of Modern Medicine."

A statement released by the Common Wealth Medical Association on Tuesday read, "In the commonwealth Medical Association two doctors of reputation have been elected from India as Presidents in 1976 and 2007 and now for the first time in the history of 60 years of Common Wealth Prof. Dr. J.A. Jayalal has been elected as the Secretary General of CMA. Prof. Dr. J.A. Jayalal hails from Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu, and serving as Professor and HOD of Surgery in Kanyakumari Government Medical College. He has served as the President of the Indian Medical Association in the year 2021 and Head of UNESCO Bioethics Chair India."

The IMA leaders and doctors congratulated Dr. J.A. Jayalal for his achievements and for becoming the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Medical Association, as per a media report in the Financial Express.

 Dr. Muragaraj, the President of the Malaysia Medical Association has been elected as the President of the Association unopposed. The post of Secretary-General was contested by Prof. Dr. J.A. Jayalal and Dr. Amoakah Coleman from Ghana, and the former was elected to the position with the support of the majority countries. 

The CMA was established in 1962 functioning with an aim to improve the health, well-being and human rights of their countries and communities. It works in association with the commonwealth secretariat in the UK, and meet with Government heads and policymakers. Every two years, an election is held with the representatives of every nation to elect the President, Secretary General, and 5 Vice Presidents from each region. 

Dr. Osahon Enabulele from Nigeria was elected as President and Dr. J.P. Tabone from Malta as the Secretary General during the last term. 

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