Doctors belonging to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Bengaluru submitted copies of a memorandum to local authorities on February 15, which demanded the revoking of permission for Ayurveda practitioners to perform surgeries. The doctors submitted the memorandum after a 14-day hunger strike, which they called ‘Save Healthcare India Movement’.

This move by the doctors came amid country-wide protests against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, which provides provisions to allow community healthcare workers to practice primary care independently. The doctors have especially taken objection with the mixing of curriculum of different streams of medicine, as a circular from Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) allowed Ayurveda doctors to perform surgeries after a training period of six months.

“We oppose this ‘mixopathy’ which the government is trying to bring about. Ayurveda doctors can now perform 53 surgeries, though Ayurveda doesn’t even have a concept of an anesthesia or an anesthetist. Without this basic requirement, how can you deem anyone fit to perform surgeries? This will end up turning into a serious hazard for public health,” said Dr Srinivasa S, former president and spokesperson, IMA Bengaluru.

The other concern expressed by the IMA and other students’ organisations and medical forums is that combining the different streams of medicine, could turn them into legalised quackery.

“This move by the Union government is absolutely unscientific. Each stream has its own set of rules and practices developed over centuries. Each of them has been time-tested. Modern medicine also has developed through a scientific process. Mixing all these fields will only destroy these processes and result in a public health crisis. Furthermore, this could lead to people losing trust in modern medicine altogether,” said Hanmanth SH, state convener of ‘White Sparks’ Medical and Dental Students Forum, Karnataka.