Indian doctors decry proposal to teach traditional medicine
Ganapati Mudur New Delhi
A proposal by the Indian health ministry to introduce courses in traditional medicine in colleges teaching modern medicine has kicked up a controversy, with doctors describing the plan as unwarranted and unsafe.
Top officials of the Indian Medical Association and the Medical Council of India have said that exposing students to different systems of medicine could promote ambiguity, confusion, and even quackery.
A male patient is massaged with cooked rice in an
ayuverdic treatment in Kerala, India
The health ministry's department of Indian systems of medicine has proposed lessons in ayurveda, siddha, and unani medicine to students pursuing modern medicine. Ayurveda and Siddha originated in India more than 3000 years ago, while Unani medicine was brought into the country by Arabs in the 14th century. They use drugs or concoctions derived from herbs, minerals, and plant oils. The three systems of medicine provide a parallel, public funded health care infrastructure in India.
India has over 485000 registered practitioners of ayurveda, siddha, or unani and 241 colleges that offer government accredited medical degrees in these disciplines. The federal government spends a little over 2% of its annual health budget on traditional medicine, supporting education, clinics, hospitals, and research.
With modern doctors in India clustered around towns and cities, traditional practitioners have a major role in providing healthcare services across the country.
The new proposal is intended to create a pool of modern medical graduates conversant with the concepts and practice of traditional medical systems to help propagate these disciplines.
Department officials say that undergraduates will be introduced in short sessions to the traditional systems of medicine, as well as to yoga and homoeopathy through courses designed for students of modern medicine.
The Indian Medical Association said that it will oppose the idea. "We're not against traditional medicine, but this will be a retrograde step that will open the floodgates to confusion and quackery," Dr Sanjiv Malik, general secretary of the association, said.
The Medical Council of India, which regulates the curriculum for education in modern medicine across the country, has not formally reacted to the new proposal, but senior officials say they do not see any significant benefit.
"Medical students are already overburdened with course material," said Dr Ketan Desai, president of the council. He said that mixing systems of medicine could also lead to uncertainty over the best course of treatment.
Dr Malik said that a policy allowing graduates in modern medicine to prescribe ayurvedic medicines after limited exposure to the subject would be tantamount to quackery. Practitioners of traditional medicine might use this policy to prescribe modern drugs without being qualified to do so.
The curriculum in colleges of traditional medicine covers modern medicine primarily to help traditional practitioners to diagnose illnesses. The government admits that traditional practitioners often use that knowledge to practise modern medicine.
studentBMJ 2001;09:443-486 December ISSN 0966-6494
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NEWS
Indian doctors decry proposal to teach traditional medicine
Ganapati Mudur (December 2001)
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Dr.Krishna Mohan
(May 30, 2005)
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NEWS
Indian doctors decry proposal to teach traditional medicine
Ganapati Mudur (December 2001)
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Dr.Krishna Mohan
(May 30, 2005)
Consultant surgeon, Hyderabad krishna_nandam@yahoo.com
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Its all grudge against the traditional ayurvedic doctors which is clearly evidents by their acts and statements.I don't understand the statement by the great writer (should be called so for having written a great story) of the article saying that modern medicine cannot be practised by ayurvedic practitioners. This is to inform the writer who is inshort of knowledge of previous and recent advancements in medical field. "It is right of a practitioner to practice the medicine in which he/she is taught or trained and cross practice is not allowed" This is their claim.
But students studying ayurveda are also taught modern subjects along with ayurvedic subjects which are also close to the allopathic subjects.In such a case doctors of ayurveda are very strong in the subject when compared to the allopathic counterparts. Hence these doctors are very very successful than others. This is what is pinching allopathic counterparts and made them raise grudge against ayurvedic practitioners and try to suppress them which is not at all possible by them. My case is a fair example - I am a postgraduate in Surgery with a degree called M.S.(shalyatantra). Many allopathic doctors tried to suppress me from practising general surgery, but their pressure made me learn laparoscopy. This pressure continued still and i could attend FRCS Examinations. This gave them proctitis and stopped pressurising me and they suffered for themselves. Now i am a consultant surgeon to 5-6 hospitals in Hyderabad intending to proceed to Mch (ortho) in UK. One thing i would like to teach hi-fi Allopathic doctors is that surgery is an art and not anybody's grandfathers jagir. It can be learnt and practised by anyone.Moreover surgery has its origin in ayurveda only wayback in 1500 BC.All these newer advancements like transplantations, cardiac surgeries, laser surgeries, laparoscopy, etc.. were there thousands and thousands of years back only.
Their claim is that ayurvedic students are not trained to do so. But it is their illusion and lack of knowledge that we are also taught all the subjects rather we learn it for ourselves. On the other hand allopathic doctors donot practice what they are taught in the college. The Subject, medication, surgical skills what they use is imported from US and not born and brought up in india. It is something like slavery, nodding their heads like a buffallo does to its master. Each and everything they do is the excreta of the US. And regarding prescribing medicines they prescribe what the medical representative asks them to do, showing them some copies of the research work undertaken on the medicine. West has already accepted Ayurveda and chinese medicine as the best forms of medicine unlike allopathy hence is trying to integrate these three.When the west is trying to teach ayurveda to the allopathy doctors, why don't you accept to the happenings around the world. anyway this is what is going to happen in due course of time. This could be a new strategy. I don't know what are they upto.This is to formally request the allopathic doctors tonow try to suppress and control other doctors which is a dangerous step you would ever take. Please be not in a illusion that your form of medicine and you only are qualified and the other doctors are not that qualified to practice medicine and surgery.
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