The National Medical Commission (NMC) has rebranded its logo, replacing the national emblem with Lord Dhanvantari, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the God of Ayurveda according to the Hindu religious texts. This move has created controversy and attracted criticism from a section of doctors.

The earlier logo had the national emblem, which had four Asiatic lions standing back-to-back. The new logo has the image of the deity Dhanvantari along with the replacement of ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’. This move has also caused speculation about the ruling party’s intention to replace the word India in the constitution with Bharat.

Reacting to the developments, Dr. Yogender Malik, a member of the Ethics and Medical Registration Board and head of the media at the NMC, said that the NMC never had a logo. NMC adopted the symbol about one and a half years ago, where it had the black and white image of Lord Dhanvantari. The colour image was changed after a recent meeting of the board and has clearer visibility now. He further added that the only change that has been made is adding Bharat instead of India.

Another official from the NMC added that the WHO also has a logo of a staff and a snake coiled around it, which is taken from the story of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. The NMC has also placed a symbol of the God of Medicine, Dhanvantari, and thus does not require any criticism.

The NMC drew wrath from the Kerala Chapter of the Indian Medical Association, which said that the change was unnecessary and unsecular. Dr. Sharad Kumar Aggrawal, the National President of the IMA, said that they would hold a meeting and then issue a statement. He said that the NMC is diverting attention from its failure to discharge its responsibilities, like improving the quality of medical education in the country and addressing the grievances of medical students, by getting involved in issues that are irrelevant.

While a section of the medical fraternity has criticized the move and taken to social media to voice their concerns, there is also a section that welcomes the move. Many doctors are also of the opinion that the move is not harmful. They are of the opinion that references to Greek gods are also seen in the Hippocratic oath and other international healthcare organizations, and hence Lord Dhanvantari’s logo for NMC should not be given a religious or political angle. Dr. Munish Raizada says that the NMC has taken the correct step in adding the new logo.

Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada shared his insight on Twitter, commenting that this is a double standard in plain sight.

Subha Maheshwari added that it would have been better, whereas Gautam Juneja liked the rebranding of the logo. “I really like the new logo," he said.

It would be interesting to see how the controversy unfolds further. A similar kind of controversy erupted a few days ago when the Union health ministry decided to rename the Ayushman Bharat health and wellness centres as Ayushman Arogya Mandir, which has the tagline Arogyam Parmam Dhanam.

(Input from various media sources)

(Rehash/Dr. Sushmita Ganguli)