CHENNAI: The Directorate of Medical Services (DMS) has started cracking down on persons who have alternative medicine degrees which are not recognised in TN, practising allopathy in the State.
On Tuesday, based on a complaint from DMS officials, police arrested K Mathiazhagan, a 37-year-old man in Cuddalore district who was found practising allopathy.
The 37 year old had a certificate of Bachelor of Alternative Medical Sciences (BAMS) from Indian Board of Alternative Medicines, a degree recognised only by West Bengal government.
“There is no board or council for registration of this degree in India. Its a recognised degree only in West Bengal. We have begun our searches for more people practising allopathy with such degrees, said a DMS official.
When DMS officials raided a premises of Indian Medicine practitioner (IMP) recently and lodged a complaint, IMPs staged a massive protest. They argued that The Tamil Nadu Registration of Practitioners of Integrated Medicine Act, 1956, and The Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 allowed them to practice even modern scientific medicine.
“Section 2 (c) of Tamil Nadu Registration of Practitioners of Integrated Medicine Act and also Section 17 (3) subclause b says we can practise any system of medicine. Since Indian Medicine Central Council is the governing body for us, we will go by that law. We don’t want to go into what the Indian Medical Council says,” said A Rahimullah, general secretary, Southern Unani Medical Association.
However, a health department official said “The Madurai Bench of Madras HC had issued a directive to the State health department and police that action can be taken against Indian medicine practitioners who prescribe allopathic medicine,” the official added.