Will You Put Yourself In The Hands Of A Ayurveda Surgeon?
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2020-11-25 07:53:46
About the Author
Ayurveda and allopathy are medical streams that are poles apart. Ayurveda normally does not prescribe surgeries and hence ayurveda doctors are not trained in surgical procedures. Hence, the recent government notification allowing ayurveda practitioners to be trained in surgical procedures and then perform certain surgeries is unwarranted and extremely risky. Even normal allopathic doctors are not allowed to perform surgeries unless they have specialized in surgical operations and have a recognized degree or diploma in the field. It takes a thorough knowledge of the human anatomy, the latest medical procedures and extensive training for one to become a surgeon. Ayurveda practitioners are neither trained for it nor will become surgeons with training that is unlikely to be as extensive as being given to those allopathic specialists who opt to be surgeons.
The specious excuse that ayurveda practitioners have been performing small surgeries for ages and the notification is just to legalize the same will set a dangerous precedent. Next, quacks will say that they have been practicing medicine for many years and should be trained and given a legal license to operate. If the government stops quacks from practicing because they might endanger lives, the same logic should be applied to ayurveda practitioners. Instead of training them and allowing them to perform surgeries, the government should put a stop to it and ask them to refer such cases to trained surgeons.
One can understand that India suffers from a huge shortage of doctors. But that does not mean that we will apply shortcuts and allow people not trained for surgeries to perform operations. What is the guarantee that once they are allowed to perform a described set of small surgeries, these ayurveda practitioners will not become greedy and ambitious and begin to perform other operations for which they are not trained? The worst part is that the Central Council of Indian Medicine proposes to introduce post graduate courses in surgery for ayurveda doctors that will train them in several critical procedures in general, gastro, skin and ophthalmic surgeries. But there are no trained ayurveda surgeons as of now. So who will train the students? It needs extensive training and dedication for one to become a surgeon. That is why only a small percentage of allopathic doctors choose to become one.
Any procedure that can be dangerous to human life is best left to be performed by those who are trained for it in the way the whole world does. India has become the preferred destination for the so-called medical tourism. People from all over the world come to India to get treated by trained doctors at a reasonable and competitive cost at facilities that are good and trustworthy. This reputation has been built assiduously over the years and nothing should be done to shred it to pieces. Allowing ill-trained ayurveda practitioners is wrong and the government must review the decision.
