`Regressive proposal’: IMA flags move to launch integrated MBBS and Ayurveda course
Terming the move as unscientific, incompatible, IMA said it could result in an irreversible catastrophe
By Neelambaran A
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Hyderabad: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has strongly criticised the Centre’s move to launch an integrated MBBS and Ayurveda course at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry.
Terming the move as unscientific, incompatible, IMA said it could result in an irreversible catastrophe.
In a statement, the IMA has urged the union government to withdraw the regressive proposal in the interest of the health of the people.
IMA said the increase in life expectancy from 32 years in 1947 to 70.8 years, and the eradication of diseases like smallpox and neonatal tetanus through vaccines, was because of the vaccines invented after years of research.
IMA also referred to the role of antibiotics and modern drugs in successfully treating diseases like tuberculosis, cholera, and typhoid.
As per the details furnished on the official website of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), the life expectancy has more than doubled, and the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has reduced drastically due to the advancements in modern medicine.
Referring to the failure of the Chinese model of mixing traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine, which also denigrated the value of Chinese traditional medicine, the IMA pointed out that such a model cannot be followed in India.
The doctor-to-patient ratio has fallen below 1:500 in South Indian states, though India has 779 medical colleges and produces 136325 doctors every year.
Karnataka has a ratio of 1:457, Andhra Pradesh has 1:488, Kerala has 1:509, Tamil Nadu has 1:495, while Telangana has a poor ratio of 1:1,462. The national ratio stands at 1:834, which includes allopathic and AYUSH practitioners.
Terming the move to combine the allopathic and ayurvedic medical systems as ill-advised, the IMA stated that such a misadventure will lead to a setback to the advancements achieved in the last 100 years.
The IMA has urged the ayurveda practitioners to defend their system, it has also planned to take the people into confidence, as the efforts to convince the union government have failed.
The statement also insisted that mixopathy will take away the right of the patients to select their choice of medicine.
