BENGALURU: Outpatient medical services were shut between 6am and 6pm across the state on Friday, in response to a call given by the Indian Medical Association to protest the permission given to Ayurveda practitioners to perform general surgery.Although outpatient services were shut, emergency and Covid services were not disrupted.
Resident doctors too backed the IMA and staged protests holding placards and candles. Karnataka state secretary of the IMA Dr Srinivas S said, “The Centre’s decision can compromise patient care. Not everyone can do surgeries. We can’t allow mixopathy. If this is not stopped, we will approach the Supreme Court.”
General secretary for IMA Yelahanka, Dr Suri Raju also expressed concerns about the quality of care patients would receive. “Mixopathy is fundamentally not good for patients. Certain issues arise out of such decisions. What about pre-anaesthetic medication? Will it be AYUSH drugs? What about anaesthesia? Does AYUSH have its own drugs and procedures?”
He also raised questions about post-operative care and infection control. “How will a system not subscribing to microbial theory find a way to control sepsis? Will it be a throwback to 19th century septic wards?” he asked. Dr Suri also raised questions about how the government would find resources to create infrastructure for the new “modern medicine B team”.
CEO of Prakriya Hospitals, Dr Srinivas Chirukuri, said that modern medicine must be practised by trained people. “It is easy to take vulnerable patients for a ride. The government’s move seems to be poorly thought through and can make things worse. There is a lack of transparency and the proposal looks unscientific to us.”