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About Indian Medical Association
Indian Medical Association is the largest national voluntary organization of the medical practitioners in the modern scientific system of medicine. It was formed in December, 1928 at Calcutta under the name All India Medical Association with the objectives of promotion and advancement of medical and allied sciences in their different branches, the improvement of public health and medical education in India and the maintenance of honour and dignity of the medical profession. In the year 1930, the All India Medical Association was renamed as the Indian Medical Association and the body was duly registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. The headquarters of IMA was shifted to New Delhi in January 1949 and it is functioning in its own building, since September 1966, at Indraprastha Marg, IMA House.
IMA played a very important role during freedom movement in galvanizing the medical community to fight for the liberation of the nation. Even today IMA has got the historic responsibility to develop people’s health movement so that under-privileged sections of our society also get their due share which is often denied to them by vested people and they are liberated from killer diseases and poverty.
The membership of the IMA is open to all person qualified in modern system of medicine and registered under the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, as amended. Though the Association was formed with only 222 members, today it has a membership of about 1.78 laks, spread 1700 branches throughout the country. Yet it represents only 25% of the total doctor community in the country. It must be therefore, the Endeavour of the IMA to see that its membership is extended to each & every professional in the country. In United Kingdom it is pre-requisite for the doctor to enroll himself as the member of British Medical Association, before he is duly registered for professional practice by General Medical Council of UK. It is imperative that such a system should be worked in our country in collaboration with Medical Council of India.
Over the period of 80 years, the IMA while maintaining its glorious traditions, has been rendereing yeomen’s service in the field of health care delivery, diseases control and eradication. Its service to the humanity during natural calamities like: earthquakes, droughts and floods, famines and epidemics in the pre and post- Independence periods have been lauded. It has been involved in the formulation and implementation of National Health Programmes eg. Family Welfare, Maternal & Child Health, Universal Immunization Programme, Rural Rehydration Therapy, AIDS Prevention, Control and Management etc and its role has been received recognition by the Central and State Governments and the UNICEF. The IMA and its Branches have been running many community services projects and a number of Branches have established Family Welfare Clinics, Immunization Centre, Ambulance Service, Blood Banks, RCH Programmes, etc.
The affairs of the IMA are managed by the elected members of the Central Council and the Working Committee which lay down the policies and deliberate on the day to day activities of the Association. It has number of Standing Committees which look after the specified subjects entrusted to them under the various terms of references. Each State and Local Branch holds regularly Scientific and Medical meetings and elects its Office bearers once in a year. The State Branches organize their respective State Conference every year, during which, besides organizational matters, they have scientific sessions for the benefit of their members in the various specialties in medicine.
Indian Medical Association is the only representative, national voluntary organization of Doctors of Modern Scientific System of Medicine, which looks after the interest of doctors as well as the well being of the community at large. The founding fathers way back in 1928, while struggling for liberation of the Motherland from British rule simultaneously felt the need of a national organization of the medical profession. Before that, some members of the profession – a selected few – were members of the British Medical Association, which had opened branches in India to cater to the local needs. These stalwarts, ultimately succeeded in formation of Indian Medical Association and reached an agreement with the British Medical Association that they will have no branch in India, and got mutually affiliated, which relationship continues till today.
Indian Medical Association in the year 1946 helped in organization of the World body, namely, World Medical Association, and thus became its founder member. As an organization it has been, and continues to play an important role in its deliberations. It hosted the III World Conference on Medical Education under the joint auspices of W.M.A. and I.M.A. in New Delhi in 1966.
Today, I.M.A. is a well established organisation with it’s Headquarters at Delhi and State / Territory, branches in 23 States and 9 Union Territories. It has over 1,78,000 doctors as its members through over 1700 local branches spread all over the country.
It’s Objectives are
- Promotion and Advancement of Medical & allied sciences in their different branches.
- The improvement of public Health and Medical Education in India
- The maintenance of honour and dignity of medical profession.
IMA has four academic wings
- IMA Dr. AKN Sinha Institute
- IMA college of general practitioners
- IMA academy of medical specialties
- Journal of the Indian medical association |
