IMA Chandigarh Protest against “Mixopathy”

Indian Medical Association, the apex body of Indian doctors, has called for withdrawal of all non-essential and non-COVID services between 6.00 am and 6.00 pm on December 11, 2020
However, emergency services including casualty, labour rooms, emergency surgeries, intensive care units (ICUs) and critical care units (CCUs) was exempt from the shut down.
IMA’s concerns
The top medical body has condemned the Centre’s decision to allow post-graduate Ayurveda doctors to formally practice general surgery, including ortho and dentistry. The IMA has called it the central government’s “retrograde step” of mixing the Health systems. It is a violation of “mutual identity and respect” of both, Allopathy, the Modern System of Medicine and Ayurveda, the Traditional System of Medicine.
In a statement, the IMA said that the move and the formation of four committees by NITI AAYOG for integration of all systems of medicine will only lead to “mixopathy”, and should be abolished.
A notification issued in November by the Central Council of Indian Medicine, a statutory body under the Ministry of AYUSH meant to regulate the Indian systems of medicine, had listed 39 general surgery procedures including Dentistry and around 19 procedures involving the eye, ear, nose and throat by amending the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016. The protest by IMA and IDA is to cancel this notification.
Dr Vanita Gupta, State President IMA Chandigarh said that it is a step which will destroy Ayurveda, Modern medicine and Health of Indian citizens. She said that if this continues we will face acute shortage of modern medicine doctors, as nobody would like to join this profession. Already large number of MBBS seats are going vacant in Punjab.
Medical student network (MSN), Junior doctors association (JDA) and Indian dental Association (IDA) along with associations of various specialties like Dermatology IADVL, Pediatrics IAP, Ob/Gynae FOGSI, Dentistry IDA, Surgeons ASI also joined this protest.