The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has strongly opposed the policy changes in medical education by the Centre, especially the plan to mix modern medicine with the traditional systems of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush), in the coming years, as envisaged by the Centre.
The reaction by the apex medical association of private practitioners has come after the formation of four committees by the NITI Aayog, which would work upon a policy to integrate all systems of medicine in the areas of medical education, clinical practice, public health, medical research and administration.
The IMA said that the theoretical basis of policy seems to emanate from the new National Education Policy which envisages mixing of all systems of medicine under the garb of medical pluralism.
The IMA also mentioned that the National Medical Commission Act, which came into force from September 25, repealing the nearly 64-year-old Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, has reactivated the already existing avenues of quackery, mixopathy and crosspathy through medical education.
The association specified three particular sections of the NMC act which they found problematic.
"Section 32 of NMC Act provides for legalised quackery by empowering non-medical persons in the name of community health providers to practice primary care independently. It is strange that they can be employed in secondary care and Tertiary care settings when two of them are employed together.
IMA President Rajan Sharma stated that an integrative system of medicine would create a 'khichdi' medical system and would produce hybrid doctors.
"The IMA stands for the purity of the systems of modern medicine as well as Ayush. It is not in the interest of traditional systems either to lose their identity or further development. As many as 96 per cent patients in IPD and 94 per cent patients in OPD are being served by modern medicine.
The IMA also said that it would campaign to sensitise the people on the dangers of shifting to an integrated system of medicine.
(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT)
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