God Dhanwantari and term ‘Bharat’ in National Medical Commission’s new logo

New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has modified its logo, dropping the national emblem and including the photo of God Dhanvantri – an avatar of Lord Vishnu who is referred to as the god of Ayurveda in the Puranas.

The NMC said the Dhanvantri logo was in use for almost a year. “Earlier, it was in black and white and, therefore, not visible in printouts.

We have simply used a colour photo in the centre of the logo,” an official said.

Another official, who did not want to be identified, said even the WHO’s emblem consisted of the United Nations’ symbol overlain by a staff with a snake coiling around it. The staff and snake has long been a symbol of medicine and the medical profession. WHO says it originates from the story of Asclepius, who was revered by the ancient Greeks as a god of healing and whose cult involved the use of snakes.

The NMC logo has no mention of ‘India’ but has used the term ‘Bharat’.

The change in logo was criticised by the Indian Medical Association’s Kerala chapter. “The recent change in the NMC logo is not acceptable to the modern medical fraternity. The new logo gives a wrong message and will harm the scientific and secular nature of the commission,” it said in a statement, adding that the move should be rescinded.

Source : TOI