IMA members protest against Centre’s ‘unscientific orders’

They object to allowing Ayurveda doctors to perform surgeries

Members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) held a protest in Belagavi recently against, what they called, unscientific orders by the Union government about public health and medical education.

Protesters marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and submitted a memorandum to the Union government. This was part of the nationwide movement by the IMA, they said. Their main objection is against permitting Ayurveda doctors to perform surgeries.

“The gazette notification issued by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), a statutory body under the AYUSH Ministry, specifies a total of 58 surgical procedures that postgraduate scholars of Shalya Tantra can perform, encompassing specialities of surgery, orthopaedics, ENT, ophthalmology, and dental surgeries. This is not acceptable,” they said.

This is a retrograde step of unscientific mixing of system of medicine which will produce hybrid doctors who will not be at par with the medical specialists of modern medicine. This can have negative repercussions that could endanger public health, the protesters said.

The memorandum seeks maintaining the legacy and sanctity of each system of medicine.

‘No mixopathy’

“We urge that the government should not introduce mixopathy. Purity of all the different systems of medicine should be maintained. Research and development should happen in respective fields of medicine and each should follow their system of medicine,” they said.

Anil Patil, president, IMA Belagavi; Devagouda, secretary; A.S. Godhi, former principal of KLE Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College; Sashikant Kulgod, Ravindra Angol, Sudhir Bhat, Vijay Patil, and Yalaburgi, were present.