Doctors Of AIIMS, Other Hospitals Join IMA Call For Protest

New Delhi: Many doctors at several hospitals in the national capital, including AIIMS, on Friday sported black ribbons in support of the protest call of the IMA against the Centre’s move allowing post-graduate practitioners of Ayurveda to be trained in performing surgical procedures.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had given the nation-wide call on December 1, has demanded withdrawal of the notification.

Doctors at AIIMS, and various Delhi government-run facilities, including LNJP Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, DDU Hospital, GTB Hospital, BSA Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, and civic-run Hindu Rao Hospital performed duties while wearing black armbands and ribbons.

The Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS-Delhi, in a statement said, “This step will not only encourage already rampant quackery, but also undermine the safety of public. We request the government of India to retract this notification immediately”.

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“We stand with our medical fraternity in this regard and support the strike called by Indian Medical Association,” it said.

Shivaji Deb Barman, president of FORDA, an apex bodies of various RDAs in Delhi, said, doctors in Delhi will observe black ribbon protest, but “will not withdraw any services”.

The IMA has given a call for withdrawal of non-essential and non-COVID services between 6 am and 6 pm on Friday to protest against the notification.

The notification by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) to allow legal practice of surgeries by Ayurveda practitioners and the formation of four committees by NITI Aayog for integration of all systems of medicine will only lead to “mixopathy”, the IMA has said.

Over 30,000 Doctors in Gujarat Protest Centre’s Ayurveda Surgery Move

Over 30,000 doctors from Gujarat joined the nationwide protest called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday against the Centres decision to allow post-graduate Ayurvedic physicians to perform certain types of surgeries after training.

However, emergency medical services will remain unaffected as they have been exempted from the purview of the agitation.

The IMA has called for withdrawal of all non-essential and non-COVID-19 services between 6 am and 6 pm on Friday across the country against the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) decision to allow Ayurvedic doctors to conduct certain surgical procedures after the completion of their 3-year PG course, said IMA office-bearers.

The IMA is the apex body of allopathy doctors in the country. “However, emergency services, including casualty, labour rooms, emergency surgeries, ICU and critical care service will continue.

“Over 30,000 of our member-doctors from Gujarat, including 9,000 from Ahmedabad, have joined the protest today,” said Dr Kamlesh Saini, secretary, IMA (Gujarat branch).

“We demand withdrawal of the CCIM Act notification and the NITI Aayog committee for integration (of all medicine systems).

“We urge the government to take into account the grievances of doctors against this mixopathy. The IMA will continue its agitation till our demands are met,” said Dr Saini.

Mona Desai, a senior doctor from the city, said the government must not play with the health of people by allowing Ayurvedic doctors to do surgeries after a three-year course as principles of Ayurveda and modern medicines are different.

“The CCIM order says that post-graduate Ayurvedic students will be given some training about modern medicine during their 3-year course after which they can perform 58 different types of surgeries.

“Modern medicine doctors spend 8 to 10 years learning the same. So if that can be achieved in just three years, why are we spending so many years learning them?” asked Desai, immediate past president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association.

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