IMA doctors' strike hits medical services; essential facilities exempted

New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) reacted strongly to government’s decison to allow Ayurveda doctors to perform surgery.

The apex body of Indian doctors, called for a strike on December 11 across 10,000 locations throughout the country in protest. As per the government notification listing, Ayurveda practitioners can now perform surgeries.

The government notification issued on November 20 listed as many as 58 varieties of surgeries that postgraduate Ayurveda medical students must be “practically trained to acquaint with, as well as to independently perform”. 

The IMA termed it as ‘mixopathy’, and had earlier also threatened to withdraw all non-essential, non-Covid services in hospitals and hold demonstrations across the country on December 8. 

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11 December 2020

15:06 IST

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.

15:06 IST

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