Overstepping Boundaries

Issuing a contemptuous letter against the Centre’s latest guidelines promoting Ayurveda and Yoga in the prevention as well as treatment of asymptomatic and mild patients of Covid-19, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has triggered a major controversy. This, after the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan released a protocol for the clinical management of Covid-19 that listed dietary measures, Yoga and Ayurvedic herbs and formulations such as Ashwagandha and AYUSH-64 for prevention of coronavirus infection and treatment of mild and asymptomatic cases.

 

The IMA is a non-governmental organisation and was founded in 1928. It is a representative, national voluntary organisation of Doctors of Modern Scientific System of Medicine, which looks after the interest of doctors. Here’s what the IMA’s objective module reads-

 

1. To promote and advance medical and allied sciences in all their different branches and to promote the improvement of public health and medical education in India
2. To maintain the honour and dignity and to uphold the interest of the medical profession and to promote co-operation amongst the members thereof;
3. To work for the abolition of compartmentalize in medical education, medical services and registration in the country and this to achieve equality among all members of the profession.

 

Ironically, IMA’s recent circular blatantly disregards its threefold objective as firstly, the circular does not appear to support its objective of promoting ‘medical and allied sciences in all their different branches to promote the public health’. It is a settled fact that Ayurveda is a traditional medical science that has been practiced in India for centuries now. By calling Ayurvedic medicines and treatment a placebo, IMA has cast aspersions of Ayurvedic practitioners and has potentially dampened their dignity and honour. Further, the guidelines to treat the asymptomatic patients with Ayurvedicmedicine is a step towards cooperation between to streams of medicine. And by issuing the circular, the noted ‘medical’ association has acted in contravention with its second objective.

 

 

The interventions and measures proposed in the clinical management protocol are not for cure, but for the management of asymptomatic and mild cases of Covid-19 and for prophylactic care. One should not get a false feeling of safety from adopting these measures. It is also underlined that for prevention of Covid-19, the mainstay approach remains adherence to the general guidelines as released by Government. There are some traditional medicine remedies from AYUSH systems which provide relief and alleviate some of the symptoms of Covid-19. AYUSH systems follow a holistic approach towards disease management and maintaining health of a healthy person. At the time when entire world is busy, striving, researching to find a vaccine for the virus, IMA’s circular not only attempts to diminish Ayurveda’s tall and rich stature but also rejects any possible future treatment from AYUSH systems. What’s more, the IMA’s circular, seemingly has also failed to understand that Modern Medicine or Western medicine is not a repository of medical practice and prescription in our country. Traditional, alternate and effective medical sciences have existed in our country for centuries and are more than competent to alleviate any disease.

 

 

The Ministry of AYUSH vide notification dated April 21st 2020 has allowed research and clinical trials under Ayurveda, Unnani, Siddhi and Homeopathy systems. In a response to the letter, Vaidya Prashant Tiwari , a Ayurveda practitioner, through his Advocate Archana Pathak Dave has sent a legal notice remove to the afore-stated press release dated 08.10.2020 and to publish an unconditional apology to Vaidya Prashant Tiwari and practitioners of AYUSH Medicine.

 

Therefore, IMA’s statements on the Health Minister and practitioners of AYUSH medicines are profoundly antithetical towards IMA’s stated objectives. In these times of public health crisis, responsible voluntary organisations are expected to act in responsible manner putting public health and safety at the centre and not unintelligently trivialise and ridicule alternate streams of medicine.