KOCHI:The ayurveda medical students have decided to launch a strong protest against the recent restriction imposed against training in gynaecology and surgery theatre exposure at government hospitals in the state as part of their course. They have also moved the Kerala High Court seeking to quash the government order.
The petitioner- Ayurveda Medical Association of India- submitted that if the new order is implemented, no ayurvedic students from Kerala would be eligible to be enrolled as ayurvedic doctors in Kerala
Central Council of Indian Medicine which is the governing body of ayurveda, unani and sidha mandated training in gynaecology and minor and major obstetric surgical procedures. Though the council prescribed the two training, none of the government and aided ayurveda colleges are equipped with the facility. Hence, the government granted sanction for training in gynaecology at Government Women and Children Hospital at Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram, and General Hospital Ernakulam and all district hospitals in the state. However, the government issued an order keeping the earlier order in abeyance. The petitioner submitted that none of the affected parties were heard before passing an order, hence it is in violation of minimum principles of natural justice.
The petitioners submitted that the government has taken a decision on the basis of a letter from the Indian Medical Association without taking note of its ulterior motives. The IMA is an association of allopathy practitioners and hence any attempt to equip the ayurvedic practitioners with modern medicine would prejudicially affect their interest. But currently there is no infrastructure in the ayurvedic hospitals to give adequate and proper training in the gynaecology field, labour room exposure and surgery theatre exposure.
AMAI president Dr G Vinod Kumar said that the decision to impose restriction without any study is illegal. The association also decided to conduct state-level protest against the decision and will conduct protest march and sit in in front of the secretariat on Wednesday.