UP CM questions intellect of doctors opposing govt nod to surgeries by Ayurveda doctors 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said he pities the intellect of some doctors who have opposed the Centre’s decision to allow Ayurveda doctors to perform surgeries.

Last month, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) protested against a government notification allowing AYUSH streams — Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy — to be trained to perform general surgical procedures. The organisation said the move would lead to “mixopathy”.

Adityanath claimed that the world’s first surgeon practised Ayurveda and surgery was the gift of the discipline, which needs more research and awareness.

“I feel surprised and sorry about the intellect of some doctors who opposed the approval granted to Ayurvedic doctors to conduct operations. The first surgeon belonged to Ayurveda and it is Ayurveda that gave us this stream,” he added.

The chief minister made the comments after inaugurating 142 yoga and wellness centres across the state, and launching telemedicine services for AYUSH. About 1,100 Ayurvedic and homoeopathic doctors recruited by the state public service commission were also given their appointment letters.

Adityanath emphasised building the scope of the yoga and wellness centres to promote “health and wellness tourism”. He instructed officials to prepare a list of specialists in the field — in the state and in other parts of India — whom people can consult. Such consultations, Adityanath said, should be provided free of cost through a website that should have a list of the specialists and the dates of their availability.

Adityanath claimed that during the Covid-19 pandemic the demand for “turmeric, ginger, tulsi” and Indian “karha”, which is an ayurvedic drink, increased worldwide. He told the Ayurveda and homoeopathy doctors who received the appointment letters to work extra hard to publicise their disciplines. The yoga instructors at the wellness centres will be paid Rs 27,000 per month, while their assistants will receive Rs 7,000. Adityanath asked these instructors not to view their jobs in monetary terms. He advised them to spend time beyond their official work hours to understand and research the field.

The chief minister claimed that Ayurveda lags behind other medical disciplines because no attempts were made for years to promote research in the field. He pointed out that the Central government made the promotion of AYUSH a mission and opened the first AYUSH University.

The chief minister said Yoga and Ayurveda could help the state become the world’s next health tourism destination.