FM December 2020 digital P

identity and respect. The order should
be withdrawn,” said Dr R V Asokan,
Secretary-General, IMA.
Only select procedures:
Ayush ministry
After the criticism, Ministry of Ayush
clarified that the notification is
specific to 58 surgical procedures and
did not allow Shalya and Shalakya
postgraduates to take up any other
types of surgery.
The ministry denied the allegations
that the move signifies a policy shift
on the practice of surgical procedures
by ayurvedic practitioners. “No, this
notification is a clarification of the
relevant provisions in the previously
existing regulations of 2016. Since the
beginning, Shalya and Shalakya are
independent Departments in ayurveda
colleges, performing such surgical
procedures. While the notification
of 2016 stipulated that the students
shall undergo training of investigative
procedures, techniques and surgical
performance of procedures and
management in the respective specialty,
the details of these techniques,
procedures and surgical performance
were laid down in the syllabus of the
respective PG courses issued by CCIM,
and not the regulation per se,” clarified
the ministry.
The ministry also clarified that
all scientific advances including
standardized terminologies are
inheritances of the entire mankind. “No
individual or group has a monopoly
over these terminologies. The modern
terminologies in the field of medicine
are not modern from a temporal
perspective but are derived substantially
from ancient languages like Greek,
Latin and even Sanskrit, and later
languages like Arabic,” the ministry
stated.
IMA has decided to intensify its
protests after Niti Aayog recently
formed four committees — in the areas
such as medical education, clinical
practice, public health and medical
research and administration — for
integrating all the systems of medicine.
The move is not good for the
patients. IMA has taken upon
itself a campaign to sensitize
people on the dangers of
shifting to an integrative system
of medicine.
Dr R V Asokan
Secretary-General, IMA
procedures
are allowed to
be performed
by ayur
58surgical
postgraduates
According to the association, the
theoretical basis of the policy
emanated from the new National
Education Policy, which envisages
“mixing up” of all systems of medicines
under the garb of medical pluralism,
allowing multiple entries and exit
in medical courses and abolishing
dedicated health universities.
Millions of lives at risk:
IMA warns
IMA warned that the move to form
‘Khichdi Medical System’ will put millions
of lives at risk. The medical fraternity
of the country is highly perturbed by
the recent policy changes regarding
medical education practice, research
and administration, said the association
in a statement, adding that the radical
changes that are being institutionalized
December 2020 / FUTURE MEDICINE / 13