Row over granting IMA Jharkhand membership to Health Minister

Dhanbad: A controversy has erupted within the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Jharkhand over the registration of Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari as an office bearer, sparking a heated debate among its members. While half of the association is in favour of granting him membership, others have expressed opposition to the move.

The internal division within the association has left the minister with a feeling of regret as he wishes to be part of IMA by becoming a registered member, like he is now with the Jharkhand Health Services Association (JHSA). The Minister was elected as a new office bearer of JSHSA on February 16, but has not yet gained membership of IMA. 

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The Jharkhand Story has reported that the membership issue has been a subject of debate within the IMA since February 16. Due to the divided responses within the association, the matter is on hold. 

Moreover, a senior IMA member from Jamshedpur explained that IMA membership is granted nationally and not by state chapters. According to him, a state body only forwards applications to the IMA headquarters in Delhi, which then approves membership. However, Dr Ansari did not submit an application, following which the association is unable to grant him membership. 

Meanwhile, the section of doctors who have supported granting him membership claimed that the Minister could only be a member of the association after he fulfilled the necessary criteria. 

It is to be noted that Dr Ansari is not a government doctor, as claimed by the members of IMA. They questioned JSHSA’s decision to grant membership to Dr. Ansari, noting that JSHSA is a body exclusively for government doctors, but Dr Ansari is not a government doctor. 

“Since Dr. Ansari is not a government doctor, it was a mistake by JSHSA to make a non-medical officer a member,” said a member of IMA. 

Although it is uncertain whether the Minister will be allowed to join the association, the members of the state chapter IMA praised him for his hard work during pandemic times and for carrying a friendly attitude towards the medical fraternity. 

Another senior IMA member emphasized that although Dr. Ansari did not support the MPA or CEA in the Assembly, he has shown a medico-friendly attitude. The member highlighted Dr. Ansari’s contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he served the people of Madhupur without concern for personal risk. He also supported the Junior Doctors Association at RIMS, Ranchi, by ensuring permission for Saraswati Puja celebrations and personally attending the festival.

Dr. Irfan Ansari is a 1999-batch Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG), has not been a member of the IMA in the past 26 years. As he did not join government service, he was also not a member of JSHSA until February 16.

“Since Dr. Irfan Ansari never submitted an application, the state body could not make him a member. Moreover, he did not support the IMA’s major demands, like the Medical Protection Act (MPA) and the Clinical Establishments Act (CEA), in the Assembly. So, how could IMA make him a member?” said the senior member.

However, Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh, former national vice-president of IMA and coordinator from Ranchi, clarified that "There is no technical hurdle in granting membership to an MLA, MP, or minister. Gujarat MLA Dr. Jitubhai Patel served as the national president of IMA, Dr. Sudipto Roy (Bengal TMC MP) was a national vice-president, and Dr. Shantanu Sen (Bengal MP) was a national president. Jharkhand MLA Dr. Dinesh Sarangi was also a member. So, the Health Minister can certainly be made a member."

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