Members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) will observe a nationwide relay hunger strike from February 1 to 14 against “mixopathy”. On February 14, the medical fraternity plans to take out a march in every State capital.
The IMA has been demanding the rollback of a notification of the Central Council of Indian Medicine that allows postgraduate ayurveda practitioners to perform 58 types of surgeries. It held protests in December 2020. “We will strive hard to maintain the purity of the medical profession. Each stream of medicine has its own individuality but the Centre is trying to promote mixopathy. We have filed a case in the Supreme Court but the Centre, which said it will consider our demands, has not taken any steps to drop its plan,” IMA national president J.A. Jayalal told reporters on Thursday.
The IMA will launch a massive awareness drive “Save Healthcare India Movement” across the country as this was “a clear threat to the healthcare of people”. As part of the nationwide agitation, the IMA members will be on relay hunger strike at 50 places across the country. In Tamil Nadu, the protest will be held in Chennai, Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, and Coimbatore or Erode. On February 7, women doctors would take part in the hunger strike and medical students would also participate.
“The government should take steps to develop ayurveda, Siddha and Unani separately, and should drop this move of mixopathy. Doctors should treat patients as per their training. We, on completion of MBBS, take up three years of study for surgery and then specialise. Already, there are quacks who perform procedures, and this mixopathy will legalise such practices, putting people’s lives at risk,” Dr. Jayalal said and added that there was no antibiotic or anaesthesia in Ayurveda.
Shortage of doctors
He said the Centre’s move was aimed at addressing the shortage of doctors. As per the World Health Organization, there should be one doctor for every 1,000 people. “In north India, the doctor-patient ratio is 1:1,400, while it is 1:700 in Tamil Nadu and 1:600 in Kerala. There are 12 lakh allopathy doctors in the country and seven lakh ayurveda practitioners. By integrating both, the Centre wants to solve the problem of the shortage of doctors,” he said.
As per the National Education Policy, the proposal was to bring in integrative medicine by 2030 in which one doctor can practice all specialities. “We are against this concept of integrated medicine. This will promote practice by untrained and unqualified persons,” he said.
Dr. Jayalal appealed to healthcare and frontline workers to take Covishield and Covaxin vaccines. “This will help create herd immunity. All IMA leaders have taken the vaccines,” he said.
Published - January 29, 2021 01:08 am IST
