Registered practitioners of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Sowa-Rigpa are now authorised to issue medical fitness certificates, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) has said.
An order in this regard was issued to the commissioners of the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Corporation, New Delhi, and Kerala on January 20 by Rakesh Sharma, president, Board of Ethics and Registration, NCISM.
The Transport department recently started allowing registered Ayurveda doctors to issue medical fitness certificates for driving license. Earlier, only MBBS graduates or postgraduates in Ayurveda were allowed to do so. It was pointed out that those who have cleared BAMS are equal to graduates in modern medicine.
Mr. Sharma said in his order that some organisations such as the ESI had been considering Ayush practitioners “unauthorised” to issue the certificate. The commission was then asked by the Union Ayush Ministry to issue a clarification.
He claimed that “Ayush practitioners are entitled to sign or authenticate a medical certificate or any certificate required by law to be signed or authenticated by a duly qualified medical practitioner.”
Mr. Sharma said it was a statutory right for those who have registered under a State or National Register under Section 34 (1) (c) of the NCISM Act, 2020. Mr. Sharma clarified that the term “duly qualified medical practitioner” shall also encapsulate the practitioners of Indian systems of medicine.
He also said the Medical Council of India has no regulatory control over those practicing Indian systems of medicine. The NCISM is a complete code in itself that is valid across the country and one that deals with regulations of its practitioners, including their rights.
The NCISM Act, 2020, also overrides all other general acts. The authorities should consider practitioners of Indian systems of medicine with “credibility”, said Mr. Sharma.
