Doctors’ protest intensifies as Modi govt allows Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgery

Indian Medical Association (IMA) along with Indian Dental Association, National Medicos Organisation (NMO), and with All Indian Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) support has been protesting ever since the Centre allowed Post Graduate (PG) students of Ayurveda to perform a variety of general surgery, including orthopedic, ophthalmology, ENT and dental.

Doctors have been staging demonstrations all over India against the Centre’s new notification and Mixopathy.

The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) in its notification on November 22 allowed post graduate degree holders of Ayurveda to perform a variety of procedures including general surgery, orthopaedic, ophthalmology, ENT and dental procedures and surgeries.

The doctors have not only raised serious objections to it but also to the use of mixopathy because they believe that each and every variant of medicine is different and has its own identity and the amalgamation of various streams of medical science is a threat to human life and the health care system.

One of the protesting doctors Dr Simrran Kalra, National Secretary, IMA MSN while talking to National Herald said, “Our main motive behind this protest is to reach out to the common people, to make them aware of this threat.”

Mixing medical sciences and medicines is a great threat to patients and this will increase the burden on the students and health care system, she added.

On December 8, 120 doctors protested in 5 different locations in Delhi, with 20 doctors at each protest site.

One of the protesting doctors was detained by Delhi police on Tuesday morning

“The reason why only 20 doctors are there at each protest site is we did not want a large gathering as all the COVID norms have been followed. We only want peaceful demonstrations to make people aware and warn the government. We are against this Mixopathy and don’t want ‘Jack of all trades and masters of none’ culture in our profession, Dr Simrran Karla added.

While talking to National Herald, Dr Priyanshu Ranjan, State president IMA MSN MP said, this notification by CCIM not only takes away the patient's choice but also encourages anarchy. Integration of different streams of doctors would have been respected had it been in the form of creating mixed teams, where a practitioner of modern medicine would perform his task according to the rigorous principles he has been brought upon, and the Ayurvedic doctor would prescribe the treatments his discipline has taught him to. That would have fostered inter-disciplinary respect and communication, enhanced observation of the other's struggles and created a strong community devoted to patients.

“Not only is this attempt by the government a gross form of the infamous Indian 'jugad' which plays with the very life of the patient, who may not be able to invest the time to understand the nuances of this injustice to him, and hence finds himself in the uniquely disturbing position of being asked to root for one system, when he should not be forced to resort to his love of the country at the cost of his own health, but it also encourages shortcuts to the field of healthcare by unscrupulous elements. This notification encourages corruption to gain entry by any means in this field kept noble because of its clarity, and sadly enhances frustration for people at the unnecessary and arbitrary control of healthcare by those who treat people in pain and grief as new votebanks, Doctor Priyanshu added.

Many doctors and Medical students are against the integration of different genre of medicines and are actively protesting on social media as well.

The doctors have decided to shut down all their OPD services on December 11 in the support of their protest.

The government has not yet responded to doctors' concerns, claimed the protesting doctors.

The pan India doctors’ protest is gaining momentum as many protesters are making their voice heard to the public and as well as to the government.