Doctors observe token strike in Arunachal Pradesh by wearing black badges

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ITANAGAR: The doctors in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday observed token strike by wearing black badges in protest against the notification by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) to allow post-graduate Ayurveda students to study and practice allopathic surgical procedures.

Expressing solidarity with the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the doctors in the State wear black badges and attended the hospitals as usual and performed all duties, while OPD and other medical services functioned normally, Arunachal Pradesh unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA-AP) President DrLobsangTsetim said.

"The IMA-AP did not go for the bandh call but wore black badges in solidarity with the central IMA. The decision was made as Arunachal Pradesh has a limited number of doctors and the total bandh call could affect the healthcare delivery system," DrTsetim said.

Opposing the government notification in the field of health and medical education, the state unit of IMA said that the mixing of streams of medicines in surgery is not only hazardous to the health of the public but may be 'fatal'.

DrTsetim said modern medicines and Ayurveda are totally different subjects.

"The mixing of both will be detrimental to the health sector," he said, asking the central government who will be responsible if a surgery by an Ayurveda graduate goes wrong.

DrTsetim added that the association has no issue with the practicing of medicine by Ayurveda students but allowing them surgery will certainly be hazardous and fatal to the patients in the long run.

Looking at the future complications, the IMA-AP unit has also requested the state government to oppose and not implement the CCIM notification in the state. It also said that the association will write to the state Health department demanding withdrawal of CCIM notification.

The demand of IMA also includes withdrawal of the four committees of NITI Aayog mixing all systems of medicines and the National Education Policy (NEP), which propose to phase out all institutions offering single streams and that all universities and colleges must aim to become multidisciplinary by 2040.

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