Controversy surrounds NMC logo as IMA Kerala objects to depiction of Hindu deity
Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi (PTI): The National Medical Commission (NMC) came under attack from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Kerala unit on Thursday over its logo depicting a Hindu deity, even as the central agency stated that Lord Dhanvantari had been its emblem for the past year.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Dhanvantari is the physician of the Gods.
Dr Sulphi Noohu, IMA Kerala president,said that a secular message and way of thinking would have been more appropriate and acceptable in the NMC's logo. In a Facebook post, the doctor, known for his secular views, stated that the national leadership of the IMA would raise a strong protest against the logo change.
Noohu in his post has included images of the current logo of the NMC and a purported earlier one which carries the National emblem (an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka).
In response to IMA Kerala's allegations, Dr Yogendra Malik, Member of the Ethics and Medical Registration Board of NMC, said that in the earlier NMC logo, "the depiction of the image of the Hindu deity Dhanvantari was in black and white, and when taking printouts, it was not clear."
"Now it's in colour, and that's the only difference. The National emblem was never the logo of NMC," he clarified.
Dr Malik also said that the logo of the Commission, which came into existence in September 2020 through the NMC Act of 2019, was decided following wide consultation and that too more than a year back.
Meanwhile, in his social media post, Dr Noohu also said that the field of medicine transcends caste and religion and should always remain so.
He said that any attempt to introduce caste or religious thoughts into this field was not acceptable at all.
Noohu further said that the IMA treats all castes and religions equally and remains politically and religiously neutral.
In June this year, the IMA Kerala had strongly objected to a request of a group of female Muslim MBBS students here seeking permission to wear long-sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods in operation theatres.
Noohu had said a patient is the most significant person in hospitals and operation theatres and the existing globally accepted protocol should be followed there without fail to ensure their safety.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
