IMA to strike across nation today

Mumbai/Nagpur: Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for closure of non-emergency medical services nationwide on Friday to protest against a government notification allowing post-graduate ayurveda students to perform 58 surgeries from allopathy. The body said clinics, dispensaries and OPDs will be shut from 6am to 6pm.

Around 110,000 doctors registered with Maharashtra Medical Council, including 45,000 from IMA are likely to participate. The association said emergency services will continue. “Covid hospitals, ICUs, accident & trauma services, maternity homes and neonatal ICUs will work,” IMA stated.

A notification on November 20 by Central Council of Indian Medicine, which regulates ayurveda education, stated ayurveda graduates with postgraduate education will be trained in 58 surgeries from modern medicine. “The notification should be withdrawn. Instead of mixing branches of medicine, the government should promote research in each stream,” said Dr Avinash Bhondwe, IMA, president, Maharashtra.

“Most of these 58 surgeries are performed by super specialist surgeons. Many specifications in these subjects are not taught in BAMS curriculum of Ayurveda. So, it would be disastrous for the patients, if these surgeries are performed with half hazard knowledge,” said Dr Archana Kothari, president of Nagpur IMA.

“IMA isn’t against Ayurveda. Our contention is by such mixing of different pathies, it will be detrimental,” said Dr Sanjay Deshpande of IMA Maharashtra.

“Instead of mixing the different branches of medicine and creating a superficial mixopathy, the government should promote research in each pathies to making them useful,” said Dr Prashant Nikhade, former IMA Nagpur president.