NEW DELHI: The resident doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi on Tuesday staged a protest outside the premier healthcare institute against the Centre’s decision to allow post-graduate Ayurveda practitioners to be trained in general surgical procedures, saying it would ‘encourage quackery’ and ‘pose risk’ to people’s health.
The Indian Medical Association also, in a statement, on Tuesday vehemently opposed the notification published last month by Central Council of Indian Medicine that declared Ayurveda graduates with Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) in their postgraduate education will be given training in 58 surgeries from modern medicine.
The medical body, in six points elaborated their reason for opposing the order which states that CCIM has included these surgeries in Ayurveda syllabus without taking permission of the National Medical Commission, which regulates the branch of modern medicine.
“After this PG course in Ayurveda, a student will be awarded MS (Master of Surgery) degree in Modern Medicine. This will mislead patients. Most of the 58 surgeries are performed by the super-specialist surgeons. For which one pursues his studies and has to have a experience for almost 8 years. Since these subjects are not taught in BAMS curriculum of Ayurveda, it would be disastrous, if these surgeries are performed with half knowledge,” it stated.
The IMA has called for closure of all the non-emergency services in dispensaries, clinics and OPD services on December 11 from 6 am to 6 pm. However, essential services will be excluded. The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) stated that the recent gazette notification by the CCIM that defines professional competency expected from the post-graduates of various streams of Ayurveda has created a grey zone that is likely to be exploited, encouraging unethical medical practices.
“Its adverse effect will have to be borne by the people, especially the rural population who already have limited access to healthcare. We are in no state of defining any stream of the medicine being superior to another. Each and every system of medicine was developed and has attained today’s status by adhering to its principles. Overnight conversion of one stream to another will not only undermine their originality, but would also lead to intermingling of various treatment methodologies in the name of integration which may affect standard of patient care and teaching,” said Dr Sunil Arora, General Secretary, FORDA.