United Doctors Front Association Elects New Leadership for 2024-2025
New Delhi: The United Doctors Front Association (UDFA) recently announced the results of its 2024-2025 internal elections. Issuing a Press Release on 20th September 2024, the association announced the names of its new office bearers.
However, Dr Lakshya Mittal and Dr Arun Kumar, who were appointed as the National President and National General Secretary of the association respectively on 01.09.2023 for two years, will continue in these posts until the conclusion of their term.
"The election process was conducted with the highest standards of transparency, ensuring that the voices of all eligible members were heard and respected," mentioned the release.
Through voting by the Governing Council members of UDFA and RDA/JDA/UDFA Presidents, a new team has been elected to serve for the 2024-2025 term, which will conclude on 15th August 2025. As per the release, the newly appointed officials include:
National Vice Presidents: The newly appointed National Vice Presidents are Dr Ajeet Singh Shekhawat from Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, and Dr. Garima Garg from Sion Hospital, Mumbai.
National Joint Secretaries: The newly elected National Joint Secretaries include Dr Alok Kumar Singh from the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Delhi, Dr Mir Waseem from Jammu and Kashmir, and Dr Swathi Sapuru from Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur.
National Spokespersons: As per the release, Dr Yagika Pareek from Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Dr. A. Prashant from Chhattisgarh, and Dr. Twinkle Sharma from Jaipur have been elected as the new National Spokespersons of UDFA.
Social Media Secretaries: UDFA's newly elected social media secretaries for 2024-2025 are Dr Bhanu Kumar and Dr Hritwik Bhadwaj.
IT Cell Heads: The release mentioned that Nawazish Hussain Khan, Ritesh Srivastav, and Aamir Ahmad have been elected as the new IT Cell Heads.
UDFA has also ensured robust regional representation through the election of zone secretaries:
North Zone Secretary: The North Zone Secretary positions have been filled by Dr Amit Vyas from MAMC Agroha, Haryana; Dr Onkar Singh from RajMES; Dr Komal Sheoran, also from Haryana; and Dr Mayank Raj from Uttar Pradesh.
West Zone Secretary: Dr Ashish Kumar Mahant from RNT, Udaipur, Rajasthan; Dr Rajat Khurana from Nagpur, Maharashtra; and Dr Samyak Bansal from Jaipur, Rajasthan, have been appointed to the positions of West Zone Secretary.
East Zone Secretary: The East Zone Secretary positions have been appointed to Dr Anshuman Patra from Jharkhand, Dr Jugal Krishna Doley from Gauhati, Assam, Dr Mahendra Singh from Odisha, and Dr Lalit Kumar Tanwar from CIP Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Central Zone Secretary: Dr Saurabh Samadhiya and Dr Anoop Nigam, both hailing from Madhya Pradesh, have been appointed as the Central Zone Secretaries.
South Zone Secretary: Dr Yogendra Jogi from Chhattisgarh and Dr Anil Kumar Ojha have been selected as the South Zone Secretaries. This committed team is poised to strengthen representation and implement initiatives that cater to the unique needs of the Southern region.
Several additional roles have been filled to strengthen UDFA’s outreach and functionality, including:
UDFA Junior Secretary: The UDFA Junior Secretary positions have been filled by Dr. Manoj Kumar Jat from Delhi, Dr. Akshit Gautam from Chandigarh, Dr. Krishan Gopal Chaturvedi from Madhya Pradesh, Dr Sunil Gupta from Chhattisgarh, Dr Hanuman Bishnoi from Barmer, Rajasthan, and Dr Abhinav Mittal from Rajasthan.
Legal Advisors: The positions of Legal Advisors have been filled by Dr. Subhash Sharma from PGI Rohtak and Dr. Vishnu Rajgadia, an RTI activist.
Academic Cell Secretary: Academic Cell Secretary positions have been appointed to Dr. Lalima Gupta from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and Ashish Gaurav from IGIMS, Patna.
Intern Secretary: The Intern Secretary positions have been filled by Dr Ankit Kumar Modi from UCMS, Delhi; Dr Anamika Yadav from Jaipur, Rajasthan; Dr Ujjawal Raj from Uttar Pradesh; Dr Bharat Rathore from Jaipur, Rajasthan; Dr Vinayak Sharma from GRMC Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh; and Dr Shubh Pratap Solanki from Haryana.
The FMG Secretary: This position has been filled by Dr Vansh Chopra from Delhi, Dr. Yogendra Pal Yadav from Rajasthan, and Dr. Prateek Jain from Chhattisgarh.
Student Wing Secretary: The Student Wing Secretary positions have been appointed to Rhythm from Faridkot, Punjab; Tabassum from Bihar; Md Ibtehajul Hoda from Bihar; Akshat Tiwari from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh; Shivam from Rajkot, Gujarat; Aryan Kansal from SMS Jaipur, Rajasthan; Arya Sen from Kolkata, West Bengal; Asif Raj Kazmi from Bihar; Rakshik Gulati from Jaipur, Rajasthan; Rishabh Nandan from Bihar; and Gul Muazzam Faizy from Kolkata.
Upon his re-election, Dr Mittal expressed his gratitude and shared the association’s ambitious vision for the future. He told Medical Dialogues, "It is a profound honor to lead UDFA once again. Our mission is to safeguard the interests of the medical community while striving for transformative reforms that benefit both healthcare workers and the public. Together, we will continue to advocate for meaningful changes in the healthcare system."
Dr Mittal informed that the newly elected UDFA team, under his leadership, will focus on several key initiatives including revamping working conditions for healthcare workers, pushing for Central Protection Act to ensure safety and dignity of healthcare workers at their workplace, decriminalisation of medical profession, advocating for the creation of a separate Indian Medical Services (IMS) cadre, continuing the fight against service bonds imposed on medical graduates, and working towards streamlining the NEET UG, PG, and SS examinations for greater transparency and efficiency.
In addition, UDFA will continue its 'Tobacco-Free India' campaign, which aims to reduce tobacco consumption nationwide and promote public health, he informed.
Dr Mittal urged all healthcare professionals to unite for a common cause, emphasizing that collective strength is the key to achieving lasting reforms. He added, "We must come together as one voice to address the challenges we face. Our unity will be our strength in fighting for better working conditions, legal protections, and meaningful reforms that will uplift the entire healthcare sector."
Dr Arun Kumar, who will continue as the General Secretary of UDFA, extended his gratitude to all the members of the association who actively participated in the elections. He mentioned that with the newly elected team, UDFA reaffirms its commitment to advocating for the medical community and driving positive change within the healthcare system.
Speaking about the election results, Dr Arun Kumar, told Medical Dialogues, "I am honored to be elected as the National General Secretary of the United Doctors Front Association (UDFA) for 2024-2025. This position is not just a title, but a profound responsibility entrusted to me by each and every one of you who believe in the power of unity and the strength of our collective voice."
"As we stand at a pivotal moment in the healthcare profession, I vow to raise our concerns and demands boldly on the national stage. Together, we will confront the challenges facing our fraternity head-on, ensuring that the voices of doctors, medical students, and healthcare workers are not only heard but acted upon," he added.
