Doctors protest in Bengaluru over permit of surgeries for Ayurveda doctors

The Doctors in Bengaluru representing the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have presented copies of a memorandum to the local authorities dated February 15, which was appealing for revoking the permit granted to the Ayurveda practitioners of conducting surgeries. The memorandum was submitted by the doctors followed by a 14-day hunger strike, and they termed the initiative as “Save Healthcare India Movement.”

The protests of doctors have been arising right at the time of nation-wide protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, which caters to the provisions of permitting the community healthcare workers for practicing primary care independently. The doctors have particularly sought an objection for the merging of different medicine streams, which was declared in the circular released by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) which also gave the allowance to the Ayurveda doctors to conduct surgeries post the stipulated training of six months.

Dr Srinivasa S, ex-President and spokesperson from IMA, Bengaluru said, “We oppose this ‘mixopathy’ which the government is trying to bring about. Ayurveda doctors can now perform 53 surgeries, though Ayurveda doesn’t even have a concept of an anesthesia or an anesthetist. Without this basic requirement, how can you deem anyone fit to perform surgeries? This will end up turning into a serious hazard for public health.”

The second concern presented by IMA and various other organizations and medical forums was about the merger of the different streams of medicine, which would eventually culminate into legalised quackery.

Hanmath SH, state convenor, ‘White Sparks’ Medical and Dental Students Forum, Karnataka revealed, “This move by the Union government is absolutely unscientific. Each stream has its own set of rules and practices developed over centuries. Each of them has been time-tested. Modern medicine also has developed through a scientific process. Mixing all these fields will only destroy these processes and result in a public health crisis. Furthermore, this could lead to people losing trust in modern medicine altogether.”

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