Gurgaon/Noida: OPD services at many private and state-run facilities were hit across the National Capital Region (NCR) and several cities across the country as doctors lent support to the Indian Medical Association’s nationwide strike against the Centre’s move to allow post-graduate ayurveda practitioners to be trained to perform surgical procedures.
The IMA said nearly 3.5 lakh doctors across the country withdrew OPD as well as non-emergency and non-Covid services during the 12-hour strike from 6am to 6pm.
In Gurgaon, nearly 1,000 doctors associated with the IMA carried out a protest in 25 hospitals, including Medanta, Artemis, Columbia Asia and Paras. Only emergency services and intensive care units remained operational. Many doctors sported black ribbons while performing their duties.
Some doctors TOI spoke to said the Centre’s move would be detrimental to the health of the public at large and to the ancient science of ayurveda as well. “The decision is absurd. It will wreak havoc and encourage an unscientific mix of different medical specialities. It would be wise to encourage ayurveda and other traditional forms of medicine to conduct research in their own fields,” said Dr MP Jain, president, IMA Gurgaon.
Association secretary Rajesh Kataria said the IMA would be forced to intensify the protests “to preserve the health of future generations” if the government’s notification is not withdrawn.
In Noida, patient footfall at several major private hospitals, such as Apollo, Metro, Prakash and Fortis, was low as most of the 500-odd private OPDs and clinics participated in the strike.
“No appointments were taken and only emergency or direct walk-in cases were addressed,” said Ayush Chauhan of Prakash Hospital, which handles 150-200 patients daily at its OPD. The Metro Hospital OPD also saw its footfall reduced to a third, to less than 100, informed Dr Kanika Kanwar, its medical director.
Chief medical officer Deepak Ohri told TOI that adequate arrangements were made at the District Hospital, with doctors kept on standby and ambulance facilities, in the event of patient overload from private hospitals. The situation, however, remained under control. “We had about 800 patients at the OPD,” said Dr Renu Agrawal, the hospital’s chief medical superintendent.
Dr N K Sharma, Gautam Budh Nagar president, IMA, said the move would mean “playing with the lives of the common man”. “I’d like to ask our MPs and MLAs and the bureaucrats who help form these laws if they would get themselves and their family members treated by these doctors. When it comes to them, these lawmakers and political leaders go abroad for treatment. So on what grounds are they making such laws?” he asked.
OPDs at major hospitals in Jharkhand and Odisha wore a deserted look. At least 50,000 OPD visits were affected in Jharkhand, according to Yogesh Gambhir, state president, Association for Healthcare Providers (AHPI).
In Bhubaneswar, doctors observed symbolic protests in their respective clinics.
In Goa, IMA representatives held a meeting with chief minister Pramod Sawant, an ayurvedic doctor, urging him to look into the matter on Tuesday. IMA Goa president S Samuel said about 1,500 affiliated doctors attended only emergency cases to protest against “mixopathy”, a term coined by the IMA for allowing ayurveda practitioners to ‘meddle’ in the allopathic system of medicine.
At Patna’s Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, patients could be seen returning without check-up.
“Our motive is to make the government realise its mistake and not to create problems for people. We continued with all emergency services,” said Dr Ajay Kumar, senior IMA member.
IMA state secretary Sunil Kumar said the government must roll back its decision. “Giving anaesthesia is an important part of an operation and only expert doctors do this. How will ayurveda doctors carry out this procedure?” he asked. The IMA’s Chhattisgarh wing, meanwhile, declined to participate in the boycott, with doctors continuing medical services all day. OPDs were, however, closed in some hospitals in Raipur and Bilaspur. “We are against this decision but will not go on strike as it will impact patients in times of crisis,” Dr Rakesh Gupta, a member of the state IMA unit, said, adding that the Centre’s decision should be challenged in the Supreme Court as it could “harm patients”.
The protest by healthcare professionals comes in the wake of a notification issued on November 20 by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), a statutory body under the AYUSH ministry, which stated that ayurveda post-graduates will be trained in 58 surgeries from modern medicine by amending the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016. These procedures include cataract, mastoidectomy, tympanoplasty, orthopaedic and dental surgeries.
(With inputs from Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Patna and Raipur)