As individuals, mfc members are spread out and involved at their local levels in various capacities. Quite a few of us are part of rural or urban projects, or initiatives concerned with community health and development . Some of us are in part-time or full-time private medical practice. Others among us are teaching or studying in medical colleges, some are serving in government hospitals or primary health centres, and some are involved in disciplines like health economics or administration and in health worker training.

The mfc bulletin (first published in 1975) is the main medium through which we communicate experiences, ideas and information and stay in touch with each other. It carries articles which usually represent varying points of view of our membership within the broad mfc perspective. There are reports on relevant events and developments relating to health and health care. Importance is given to letters from members, either spontaneous or in response to articles.

Publication of bulletin article anthologies has been done periodically (for details please see ‘mfc publications’). They have been well received.

We meet at the mfc Annual Meet, usually in January. We nearly always focus upon a particular theme or issue. Examples are-

•      relevance of the health services
•      role of doctors in society
•      misuse of drugs by doctors
•      alternative medical education
•      child survival
•      medical technology
•      under-nutrition
•      community health workers
•      bias against women in medical care
•      tuberculosis and society
•      family planning
•      reproductive health

We also allot special time for sharing of our local experiences and problems, thereby strengthening friendship and solidarity.

To respond to the specific interests and needs of mfc members and for indepth discussion and interaction on specific topics, the Primary Health Care Cell and Women and Health Cell were formed in the early 1990s. This process of forming specialised cells will hopefully be an ongoing process.

From time to time, mfc members have taken up collective activities usually to study or act on a certain problem such as,

•      lathyrism survey in Rewa District, MP
•      study of health effects of the Bhopal Gas Leak, March 1985,
•      pregnancy outcome study in Bhopal nine months after exposure to the toxic gas,
•      with women’s groups, campaign against hazardous hormonal contraceptives,
•      support to the International Medical Commission on Bhopal, 1994.

In Bhopal in 1985 we also gave technical support to the health activities of voluntary agencies and action groups among the gas victims.

mfc has been an active founder member of the All India Drug Action Network. In 1980, a Rational Drug Policy Cell was formed in mfc to contribute to the campaign for a Rational Drug Policy through the AIDAN.

In an attempt to consolidate regional groups for more frequent and intensive interaction or to initiate collective action at local level, attempts have been made to form region-based groups in Calcutta, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The Bombay mfc has been consistently active since 1990 on issues such as medical malpractice, human rights in health, regulation of private practice and improvement of public health services.