Don’t mix Ayurveda, allopathy, doctors say; national protest on December 8, 11

BENGALURU: All non-Covid and non-emergency medical services across the country may be halted for two hours on December 8 and between 6am to 6pm on December 11 in response to a call given by the Indian Medical Association which is protesting the permission given to Ayurveda practitioners to perform surgery.Calling its protest a “freedom struggle for modern medicine”, against ‘mixopathy’, the IMA has demanded the withdrawal of the Centra Council of Indian Medicine’s (CCIM) notification permitting postgraduate practitioners of a specific stream of Ayurveda to be trained to perform general surgeries.

The medical community in Karnataka is divided over the issue, with doctors saying that the move would put lives at risk and Ayurveda practitioners maintaining that surgery is already part of the medicine system. Allopathy doctors in the state are strongly opposed to the move and have decided to protest.

Doctors say many aspects of medical care are not part of Ayurveda. A senior cardiologist requesting anonymity said, “Ayurvedic doctors have no idea of anatomy or surgery. It is like asking a car driver to fly an aircraft,” the doctor said.Dr Bhagat Ram, senior anaesthetist at Victoria Hospital, argues that Ayurveda practitioners cannot suddenly claim to be competent to perform surgeries. “Do they know how to administer anaesthesia, the basic need for most surgeries? Why can’t they strengthen their stream?” he said.

Commissioner for AYUSH, Meenakshi Negi however, says that surgery has always been a part of Ayurveda. “There is a branch of Ayurveda called Shalya, which means surgery. This is part of Ayurveda curriculum and is taught across the country. It is as per the existing legal regime. After teaching surgery to students, is it fair to say they can’t practise it?” she said.

Senior epidemiologist and public health expert Dr Giridhara Babu said the move was something of a quick fix. “It is not a good idea to have short courses for something as complicated as surgery. Ayurveda has great strengths and advantages in addressing health holistically. Instead of strengthening the discipline, research and practise to improve the overall health of the population, making them practitioners of modern medicine through short cuts is actually weakening Ayurveda. I am sure no true Ayurveda teacher or practitioner would support such an approach, said Dr Babu.

However, Negi said that when Ayurveda practitioners are taught surgery, patients must have a choice. “Look at countries such as Japan, China and Germany, where they are using Ayurvedic interventions even for Covid. We should look at what is good for the country instead of getting into petty arguments,” she said.

A senior doctor said that the move reflected the government’s failure to prevent Ayurveda practitioners from prescribing allopathy medicines, “They are trying to bridge the gap in the non-availability of allopathic professionals through this.”