NMC new logo row: The National Medical Commission (NMC) was attacked by the Kerala unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) over its logo depicting a Hindu deity, with the central body saying that Lord Dhanvantari had been its emblem for the past year. Indian Medical Association Kerala Branch strongly condemns the redesign of the NMC logo. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Dhanvantari is the physician of the gods. Dr. Sulphi Noohu, president of IMA Kerala, said a secular message and mindset would have been more appropriate and acceptable in the NMC logo. In a Facebook post, the doctor, known for his secular views, stated that the IMA national leadership would strongly protest the logo change.
Noohu included in his post images of the NMC’s current logo and an alleged earlier logo featuring the national emblem (an adaptation of Ashoka’s Sarnath Lion Capital). Responding to IMA Kerala’s allegations, NMC Ethics and Medical Registration Board member Dr Yogendra Malik said that in the earlier NMC logo, “the depiction of the image of Hindu god Dhanvantari was in black and white, and in the taking from the prints it was not clear.” “Now it’s in color, and that’s the only difference. The national emblem was never the logo of NMC,” he clarified. Dr. Malik also said that the Commission’s logo, which came into being in September 2020 through the NMC Act, 2019, was decided after wide consultations and that too over a year ago.
Meanwhile, Dr Noohu in his social media post 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 in this area was not at all acceptable. 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 by a group of female Muslim MBBS students here seeking permission to wear long-sleeved scrub gowns and surgical hoods in operating theatres. Noohu had said that a patient is the most important person in hospitals and operating theaters and the existing globally accepted protocol there should be followed without question to ensure their safety.