New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday dismissed concerns over the new logo of the National Medical Commission (NMC) displaying the Hindu God Dhanvantari, saying that instead of questioning the move, people should be proud of it.
The matter came up in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour when Trinamool Congress MP Dr Santanu Sen called for the old logo of the NMC to be restored, saying the new one was against the Constitution.
“Change of logo was absolutely not needed. It’s symbolising one particular religion. What is the function of the National Medical Commission? It regulates the medical curriculum, it gives sanction to the new medical colleges. Its function is not to promote any particular religion…It’s against the basic oath which we, the doctors, take after passing MBBS, be it the Charak oath or be it the Hippocratic oath. We take oath that we will treat each and every patient, irrespective of the caste, creed or religion,” Sen said.
Defending the decision, the minister said the image of the god was already on the logo and had recently been made colourful. The NMC logo with a black and white image was adopted in 2022.
“Dhanvantri is a symbol of Indian medical science…We can take inspiration from our heritage and move forward. I think we should feel proud instead of questioning,” said Mandaviya.
Objecting to the new logo last week, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had asked the NMC to take corrective measures and adopt a logo that does not contradict the oath taken by doctors.
