AYUSH practitioners’ entry into allopathic medicine raises eyebrows

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 18

In allopathic medicine, a doctor is not “allowed” to take services of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) practitioners, still medical professionals in the city have hired the latter to prescribe medicines and administer injections to patients.

President of the Punjab Medical Council Dr GS Grewal said the trend seemed to be picking up in city. “Complaints were pouring in from various quarters that nursing homes were hiring AYUSH practitioners. It is risky as the practitioners have nothing to do with allopathic practice,” said Dr Grewal. “If we get any written complaint, we are going to act tough against the doctors,” he added.

Figures available with the Punjab Medical Council (the study was conducted by the PGI, Chandigarh) stated that about 8 per cent of the total population of Punjab (as against .8 per cent national figure) suffered from hepatitis C while 1.8 per cent of the population in Punjab suffered from cancer. In the absence of any check, quackery is flourishing in the region.

One of the doctors at a reputed hospital said many “leading” (allopathic) doctors in the city were hiring AYUSH practitioners. “In many private clinics, case histories were being written by such practitioners and on the instructions given by senior doctors, medicines were prescribed by the practitioners. A majority of the patients, unawareof the fact, consider them as doctors. This is unethical as intravenous injections are also given by AYUSH practitioners at many clinics,” said the doctor, adding that it could prove fatal.

President of the Indian Medical Council (IMA) Dr PS Sooch said AYUSH practitioners could be medical assistants, but they could not prescribe medicines or administer injections to the patients on their own. “We have challenged the court’s ruling that allows the practitioners to prescribe medicines. We have urged the National Headquarters to set guidelines. The doctors know that the practitioners are not authorised to practise allopathy,” said Dr Sooch.