National Integrated Medical Association

The National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA) is an Indian non-governmental organization of general practitioners educated in integrated system of medicine which includes modern scientific medicine and traditional wisdom from ayurveda and unani in India established in 1947.

All India Conference

The first major attempt was of the establishment of National Medical Association of India in 1947, which soon spread its activities in northern states of the country. From 1953 onwards other Associations of Integrated practitioners were established in the states of Bombay, Mysore, and Madras, etc., with the names as Bombay State Integrated Medical Association (later Maharashtra State Integrated Medical Association and Gujrat State Integrated Medical Association), Integrated Associations of Mysore, etc. The attempt to bring all these associations together, materialised in 1966 at 5th AIC of NIMA Conference under the Presidentship of Dr Panna Lal Varshney and at the 7th All India Conference of NIMA held at Bhopal on 1.2.1969 the Constitution of the National Integrated Medical Association was adopted and thus NIMA was born.

First meeting

The first meeting of the NIMA Central Council was held at Delhi on 6-4-1969 which elected P N Awasthi (Bombay) as the president and K S Potdar (Delhi) as the General Secretary of NIMA. There is one more information about the first meeting of NIMA which happened in Gwalior in 1964.

Registration

The Association was registered under the societies Registration Act and Public Trust Act in 1971.

Branches

Today NIMA is the only all India organisation of the institutionally trained and qualified practitioners of Indian Systems of Medicine, who have undergone the conjoint study of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and modern scintific medicine, for a period of at least four years after Inter Science or XIIth std (10 + 2 years education). The Association has organised branches in 17 states and in union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh.

Three-tier system of NIMA

The Association has a three-tier system in its working
i) Local/District Branch.
ii) State Branches/Territorial Branches.
iii) Central Council.

i) Minimum 11 eligible integrated practitioners from any town/city/area can come together and function locally as per the Constitution of NIMA.

ii) All Local/District Branches in a state form a State Branch of NIMA, which is governed by its state council. Local Branch Managing Committees send their representatives in proportion to the number of their members to the State Council. The State Council meets twice a year, elect its Office Bearers and carries out its duties for the entire State. The details regarding the working of the Local/District Branch and State Branches can be seen in the booklet of By-Laws of NIMA.

iii) The Central Council is formed by the representatives coming from all the State Councils every year. In proportion to their membership strength. The state Secretary is necessarily the first representative of the State Branch on the Central Council. The Central Council is the important body in which are vested the general control, management and direction of policy of the Association.

The central council in its annual meeting elects the Central Office bearers who form the Executive Committee of NIMA which executes the programme laid down by the Central Council.

Membership

To bring financial stability and to have labour of workers on enrolments of annual members, the Association has laid stress on enrolling maximum life members. The life membership subscription is kept in long term fixed deposit in a Nationalised Bank and the annual interest accrued on it is distributed. The Association has opened Associate Membership for non integrated qualified practitioners who believe in integration. The Association year for Branches is from 1 October to 30 September.

• • • Some branches are demanding to cut down the life membership fees to rupees 100/- so that every general practitioner in India could be member of NIMA

Activities and achievements

• • • National Integrated Medical Association has strongly protested against [1] Union Health Ministry & MCI's proposal to start new three & half years course (BRMS) for rural health.

1. Formed all-India organisation of the Integrated Medical Community in the country. Association nominees could win the election to the state Boards and Faculties in Maharastra, Punjab and the election to the CCIM.

2. The fight of integrated practitioners to practice modern medicine was established in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, HP, MP, and West Bengal etc. Today, in most of the states we are recognised as registered medical practitioners under the Drug Rules, 1945

3. The Association continuously strived for getting the Indian Medicine Central Council Bill properly amended since its introduction in the parliament and launched a big agitation against the injustice done to the integrated practitioners in the Bill, which won with the help of a number of advocates and friends in the Parliament of India. Though the protogonists of Shuddha Ayurveda with the support of the Health Minister of the Centre succeeded in withholding the amendments in our favour, the Association did not give up the fight and continued to pursue the issue with the Government, the Central Council of Health and the Central Council of Indian Medicine and as a result, has succeeded in getting many resolutions regarding the separate categorisation of the Integrated qualifications in the IMCC Act, passed in the meeting of the Central Council of Health and Central Council of Indian Medicine.

4. The Association stands for the establishment of the National System of Medicine by fusion of the best from our ancient Indian and Western system of Medicine, to suit the needs of the people of this country. The Association submitted a memorandum on the National Medical Education Policy and the National Health Policy to the Central Government and pleaded for its adoption in the Health Ministers Conference.

5. The Association representatives were nominated by the Union Government on the Health committee of the Planning Commission and its Task Force, the CCIM, the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee, FP Standing Committee, Scientific Advisory Committee of the CCRAS etc. The Government invited the Association representatives for CCH Meeting, a Health Ministers Conference and Family Planning conference.

6. National Service

(a) Funds: The NIMA raised funds for Cyclone Relief, Flood Relief, National Defence Fund etc. and paid sizable contributions to the Prime Minister and the CNS from time to time. The Association organised Flood/Famine Relief Team (for medical relief to the affected) in Bihar, UP, Delhi, AP, Maharashtra and Gujrat.

b) Family Welfare: The work done by NIMA in the field of FW has been commendable with the strong help from the Family Planning Association of India and the Govt. the Association has organised 38 big conferences in all parts of the country to involve ISM & Homeopathic Practitioners in the National FW Programme. Through these conferences 12,000 practitioners were educated in all FP measures. The organisation of 17 district conferences in FW on 14 December 1986 simultaneously involved around 4000 practitioners of Maharashtra.. The Government of India has recognised the members of NIMA to undertake Vasectomy and Tubectomy operations as private practitioners. The involvement of members in the National Programme is increasing.

(c) Socio-Medical Services: Many Branches of NIMA regularly conducted free/cheap immunisation clinics health check-up camps, free diagnostic and treatment camps for TB, epilepsy, mentally retarded and operative camps for Cataract, physically handicapped and for family planning operations. Some Branches have adopted nearby villages for total health care.

The Association pleads with all authorities for equal status and opportunities for Integrated graduate with that for MBBS- in terms of pay scale, service conditions, allowances and promotions since 1947. In some states pay scales and allowance have been revised, there have been appointments for its graduates as PHCs and getting promotions even after 15 to 20 years of Government Service. Maharashtra Government decided to give 90% grants to Ayurved & ? modern medicine teaching institutions and "equal pay scales and allowances" for teachers in Ayurved & medical colleges.

8. Service to the Members a) The Association has attended to professional problems of individual members also its capacity and got grievances of many members redressed by pursuing them with the authorities.

9. The Association has built organisation of teachers in some integrated system of medicine colleges, Efforts are made to start refresher and regular training courses in various specialities for members through the Institute of Integrated Medical Sciences under NIMA.

10 There is need to appoint teachers from main stream modern scientific medicine to teach subjects like pharmacology, pathology & medicine,so that students from integrated system of medicine can serve Indian health system more efficiently.

Mutual Benefit Scheme - NIMA started this scheme to help the family of the member after his death, which is unique.

External links

OFFICIAL WEBSITE [2] NIMA PUNJAB[3] NIMA JALANDHAR BRANCH [4]

NIMA PATHARDI BRANCH website [5] for updatation of knowledge, is appreciated by general practitioners all over India