Docs in Delhi, Haryana wear black ribbon in support of strike call

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi

The doctors of several government hospitals across Delhi, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) on Friday extended support to the protest call given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). They will be wearing black ribbons throughout their working hours.

The IMA is protesting against the Centre's move that allows ayurvedic doctors to perform various general surgeries which as per the doctors, is an assault on the modern medicine science.

"We, along with rest of the modern medicine fraternity oppose government's move towards 'mixopathy' by the virtue of its gazette notification from the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), which allows the PG students of Ayurveda to perform general surgeries," Adarsh Pratap Singh, president, Resident Doctors Association (RDA), AIIMS said.

The doctors of the LNJP also announced to take part in the strike and demanded the government to withdraw the CCIM notification. "We support the indigenous system of medicine. However, we oppose the government's rule which is legalising Ayurveda to practice allopathic procedures," stated Dr. Keshave Singh, president, RDA of LNJP.

Doctors from medical colleges, government services, general practitioners, specialists, resident doctors and medical students are united against the three contentious moves by the Centre, which include the latest amendment by the CCIM where Ayurvedic postgraduate students could receive formal training to perform 66 types of medical procedures.

The doctors believe that the move will encourage the quackery and the patients' safety would be undermined severely.

"Modern medicine has evolved over years through evidence-based research, which has ensured both effectiveness and safety. This step will not only encourage already rampant quackery but also undermine the safety of the public. We request the government of India to retract this notification immediately," Dr. Adarsh said.

"The procedures AYUSH practitioners would follow is learnt by us after years of study and practice. If they (AYUSH doctors) get to follow the procedures, it will endanger the life of the patients. Several incidents have already been reported in the media which showed dangerous outcomes of quackery," Dr. Keshave added to the argument.

The decision by the doctors is in a series of protests spearheaded by the Indian Medical Association against the Centre's recent actions and policies in the field of health and medical education.

Meanwhile, doctors of the state-run hospitals in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh also extended support to the protest call by wearing black ribbons.

However, the medical services in the out-patient departments (OPDs) were not affected.

Medical services also operated normally in Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) which caters to patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh.

The doctors will be wearing the black ribbons throughout their working hours as a mark of protest.

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