The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dibrugarh branch has staged a hunger strike against mixopathy at the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh.

Mixopathy is used to describe the process of integrating different kinds of alternative medicine systems like homeopathy and Ayurveda with modern medical science.

The state branch of IMA launched a nationwide relay hunger strike from February 1 to 14 in protest against the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)’s decision to allow Ayurveda doctors to perform surgeries.

The CCIM brought an amendment to the PG Ayurveda Education Regulations, 2016 in November last year, allowing Ayurvedic postgraduate (PG) students to receive formal training to perform a variety of procedures, including general surgery, orthopedic, ophthalmology, ENT and dental procedures and surgeries.

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As per the gazette notification, the students will be trained in two streams of surgery and would be awarded titles of MS (Ayurveda) shalya tantra general surgery and MS (Ayurveda) shalakya tantra (disease of the eye, ear, nose, throat, head and orodentistry).

“The Indian Medical Association is highly perturbed by the recent policy proposal integrating all systems of medicine, which could put millions of lives at risk,” said IMA Dibrugarh branch honorary secretary Bedanta Bhuyan on Saturday.

“IMA, which is the largest organisation representing doctors of modern medicine stands for purity of the system of modern medicine as well as Ayush,” said Bhuyan.

The recent circular of CCIM paving the way for allowing Ayurvedic PG doctors to practise various surgeries which are otherwise carried out well-trained surgeons under the modern medical system has terrified all conscious people concerned about public health.

IMA demands immediate withdrawal of the notification of the amendment.

The competency of such surgical skills squarely falls under the ambit, authority and jurisdiction of modern medicine having been prescribed by the Medical Council of India (MCI) as the competency ascribable to the PG course titled MS (General Surgery).

Avik Chakraborty is Northeast Now Correspondent in Dibrugarh. He can be reached at: [email protected]