Ayurveda practitioners to be allowed to prescribe allopathy medicines in Uttarakhand

Although there is not any Government Order or an official announcement regarding this, the Uttarakhand branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has reacted strongly to this news. They are going to write to the Government asking for clarification regarding the matter and remind them that allowing the Ayurveda practitioners to prescribe Allopathic medicine would be a contempt of the Apex Court itself.

Also Read: Quack In Garb Of Baba: IMA writes to ICMR, NMC against Ramdev's Allopathy remark

As per the latest media report by News 18, Harak Singh Rawat, Ayush Minister of the State has informed the daily that this long pending approval by Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat will have a major impact on the healthcare services.

While commenting on the matter, Ayush Minister Rawat said, "The Ayurveda doctors for long were asking if they can get permission to prescribe allopathic medicines like their counterparts in states like Himachal Pradesh."

"We have approved their (Ayurveda doctors) demand to prescribe allopathic medicines in emergency conditions. We are hopeful that by this decision thousands of people in the remote areas of the state will get a lot of help as there are hardly any (allopathic) doctors," he added.

However, the state branch of IMA has strongly reacted against this move and termed it as "illegal". Terming the decision as contradictory in its approach, the president of IMA Uttarakhand, Dr. Arvind Sharma told News.18, "If Ayurveda doctors have to prescribe allopathic drugs then why is it (allopathy) has been questioned?"

Meanwhile, speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr. Ajay Khanna, general secretary, IMA Uttaranchal branch said, "A month back we learned that the Government might take such a decision. So, I had written a letter to the Chief Secretary and informed him that if you do this, it would be contempt of the Supreme Court, which doesn't allow Ayurveda doctors to prescribe allopathic medicine.

The National Consumer Forum also doesn't allow it and mixopathy is not entertained by High Courts of at least six States as well. Besides, section 34 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, mentions that only district medical practitioner of the State council can prescribe allopathic medicine."

When asked what they are planning to do about this, he mentioned, "However, we haven't come across any official Government notification regarding this decision. I am planning to write a letter tomorrow asking for clarifications regarding the issue."

"The third wave of the pandemic is approaching. The second wave has already cost us the lives of many doctors and we don't intend to lose more. So, if the Government is going to allow the Ayurveda doctors prescribe allopathic medicine, it would be better that we take a back step and they face the third wave," added the doctor.

Interestingly, the Government's nod allowing the Ayurveda practitioners to prescribe allopathic medicine comes at a time when the debate over Ayurveda and Allopathy is already going on.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the conflict erupted nationwide after Baba Ramdev made a controversial statement and publically mocked the allopathy branch by calling it 'stupid science'.

While the Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev posed 25 questions for the Indian Medical Association (IMA), most of them regarding the efficiency of Allopathy in treating diseases, the IMA Uttaranchal state chapter had challenged him to have an open debate with professionals of IMA regarding the 25 questions.

The association had also sent him a letter and challenged him to engage in a debate in the presence of media where the qualified doctors of the IMA UA would have a one-to-one discussion with the registered Ayurvedacharyas from Patanjali Yogpeeth.