Protesting against the Centre’s decision to allow post-graduate Ayurvedic doctors to conduct surgeries, private hospitals in Erode suspended out-patient services from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. while members of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) wore black badge while on duty on Friday.
On November 20, the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) issued a gazette notification amending the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016, that allows PG Ayurveda students to undergo training for 58 surgical procedures in general surgery, ENT, ophthalmology and dentistry. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that the move of clubbing Ayurveda with modern medicine is against the basic ethics of medicine and called for nationwide strike on Friday.
About, 2,800 doctors in 280 private hospitals abstained from duty affecting the out-patient services in the district. However, emergency services and in-service patients were attended to by the doctors, who wanted the gazette notification to be withdrawn.
On December 8, members of IMA and TNDGA staged demonstrations across the district against the notification.
Doctors under the Indian Medical Association and Federation of Government Doctors Association took part in the protests in the districts.
In Salem, over 2,500 doctors private practitioners, including dentists, boycotted outpatient services at over 300 hospitals.
In Namakkal, about 600 private doctors boycotted services at over 275 private hospitals and nursing homes. Close to 500 government doctors, including those at primary health centres, expressed solidarity to the protests by wearing black badges.
