IMA wrath on Paediatrician for promoting "Miracle healing"

Though the article was limited to the personal experience of the doctor, he has now fallen under the IMA scanner as the association has called for an inquiry to ascertain whether the doctor vouched for the magical cure. Kerala IMA has instructed its ethics committee to conduct an inquiry into the incident since it considered the incident as an ethical violation.

Thiruvananthapuram:  A paediatrician attached to Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, who had backed miraculous healing of an infant has created a controversy among the medical fraternity. The doctor, who is also a member of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kerala received severe backlash for his faith in an unscientific healing process and an explanation has been sought by the state IMA which is probing the matter.

The controversy fumed after the paediatrician wrote an article about an infant who defeated death by blessings of Mariam Thresia and survived to be ten years old now, which was published in a local daily.

In the article, the medical practitioner was nostalgic how in 2009 a prematurely born baby, who was suffering from acute pulmonary hypertension, was miraculously cured after a relic of Thresia was placed on his bed.

Sister Mariam Thresia (50), a nun and native of Thrissur district was declared a saint by Pope Francis on October 14, 2019, based on the paediatrician's testimonial before the apostolic commission from the Vatican about the miraculous cure of the infant.

Also Read: Nanavati Hospital under FDA scanner for Promoting "Miracle Drug" to treat Parkinson

This stirred most of the doctors in IMA and drew mixed responses from the masses. IMA stated this as akin to spreading pseudoscience while the community of doctors in the state was riled by the doctor's claim.

IMA-Kerala Secretary Dr Sulphi Noohu was the first to publicly object it via a Facebook post, seeking evidence for such claims of miracles. The post immediately went viral.

`We are not against prayer or beliefs. But we cannot claim that healing can be occurred through prayers since it is purely unscientific. The medical science is a proven scientific method to heal the diseases. Hence the doctor has to prove if he has endorsed it,'' stated the IMA secretary.

Also Read: Medical Council suspends Registration of Ayurveda Practitioner for publishing Miracle Cure Advertisements

Commenting on the matter, Dr Sugathan, President, Kerala IMA told Deccan Herald, "Obviously there were cases of unexpected improvements in patients' conditions. But doctors generally consider it only as natural improvement or due to oversight in diagnosis. Paediatrician's view that he had not seen such an improvement in any patients was objected by most doctors in IMA."

Though the article was limited to the personal experience of the doctor, he has now fallen under the IMA scanner as the association has called for an inquiry to ascertain whether the doctor vouched for the magical cure. Kerala IMA has instructed its ethics committee to conduct an inquiry into the incident since it considered the incident as an ethical violation.

The doctor is currently in Rome to attend the canonization of Mariam Thresia. As per IMA's direction, he will thoroughly be interrogated on the exact diagnosis made while treating the infant. The doctor will also have to make it clear whether he endorsed the unscientific healing method, reports TOI.