Medical community expresses displeasure over Narendra Modi's comments in London on doctors

The medical community has on Sunday expressed displeasure over Narendra Modi's remarks on doctors and pharmaceutical companies, media reports said.

In a public interaction in London, the prime minister had spoken about the cost of generic drugs and also criticised doctors for going abroad to attend conferences by pharma companies. In response to these statements, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that rather than focusing on the so-called nexus between doctors and pharmaceutical companies, the government must focus on the "mess in healthcare" in India.

"Indian doctors have brought international acclaim and repute due to their world-class proficiency and skill. Engaging in small talk and maligning the entire medical fraternity in India with a broad brush on foreign soil was certainly not expected out of the prime minister of the country...IMA expresses its displeasure on your unfortunate remarks," IMA Secretary-General Dr RN Tandon said to ANI. The report adds that IMA national president Dr Ravi S Wankhedkar urged Modi to reconsider his statement, as issues like medicine prices are in hands of the government, and not the medical fraternity.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also criticised Modi's statements, saying—

During an interactive session of the 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath' diaspora event at the Central Hall in Westminster, UK, Modi had said that doctors visit Singapore and Dubai to attend conferences, and not because someone is sick. "The pharma companies invite them for that. To finally break the resultant sale of expensive medicines, the government has launched generic stores where medicines of similar quality are sold at cheaper prices," Modi had said during the session.

Modi was in the United Kingdom for a four-day visit during the second leg of his three-nation tour of Europe, which also saw him going to Germany and Sweden.

With inputs from agencies