VIJAYAWADA/KURNOOL: Private hospitals across Andhra Pradesh on Friday suspended non-emergency and non-Covid-19 services as part of the nation-wide protest called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against the Union government’s decision permitting Ayurvedic doctors to perform 58 types of surgeries.
“The profession is such that we cannot shut down all services. But we received a good response as the targeted services were kept shut by all hospitals and a clear message was sent to the Central governmnet,” said Dr. PV Madhusudan Sarma, president of IMA-Vijayawada.Association state president Dr N Subramanyam added the good response to the protest across the state itself was a statement that the doctors are unhappy with the government’s decision.
“We are not against the Ayurveda discipline. However, each discipline has its own limitations which should be respected. Also, modern medicine has evolved so much that even its practitioners find it tough to master one field.” “In such a scenario, how can the central government expect the Ayurvedic doctors to bypass several stages of learning the modern medicine and start performing surgeries?” Dr. Subramanyam asked and suggested that the Centre instead take steps to develop infrastructure of Ayurveda colleges.
Meanwhile, AYUSH department sub-controlling officer and senior medical officer of Kurnool district, Dr D Prabhakar Reddy, objected to the protest and said when the government has permitted them to perform the surgeries, there was no reason for allopathy doctors to protest.
Addressing the media at his office in Kurnool government general hospital on Friday, he asked the allopathy doctors not to mislead the public. He added he has written to senior doctors of the modern discipline asking them to learn about the history of Ayurveda treatment before criticising it.
Only a few hosps remain shut in Tirupati
The protest call given by the IMA evoked mixed response in the temple town of Tirupati as only a few private hospitals suspended their non-Covid and non-essential services on Friday. Also, members of the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors’ Association staged a peaceful protest at the government general hospital demanding that the Central Council of Indian Medicine rollback the order