IMA Demands Rollback Of Govt's Move To Mix Modern Medicine System With Ayurveda

New Delhi: Reiterating its stand against mixing the modern system of medicine and Ayurveda, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday demanded immediate withdrawal of the government's move of “unscientific mixing of systems of medicine.”

"It is unfortunate that the union government seems to go ahead with its plans for the unscientific mixing of systems of medicine. Reports indicate that the first integrative course mixing MBBS and Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) would be started in the premier institution of JIPMER, Pondicherry. IMA demands that the Government withdraw this regressive proposal in the interest of the Health of the People,” the IMA said.

A statement issued by Dr Dilip Bhanushali, national president and Dr Sarbari Dutta, secretary general of IMA said that mixopathy takes away the right of the patient to choose care of his or her choice. "Let all systems retain their pristine purity. Refrain from producing hybrid doctors who will be only qualified quacks,” the IMA said. The apex medical body has pointed out several times that the mixing of systems which are incompatible is an irreversible catastrophe.

"The life expectancy of an Indian has risen from a mere 32 years in 1947 to 70.8 years in 2025. This has been possible because of the eradication of diseases like smallpox and neonatal tetanus by vaccines and access to modern maternal and child health care. The role of antibiotics and other modern drugs in treating diseases like Tuberculosis, plague, cholera and Typhoid was a significant contributor. Advances in cancer care, the advent of insulin and other drugs for Diabetes and Hypertension as well as huge strides in managing heart diseases and stroke have a significant role,” the IMA said.

It said that not only did China miserably fail in its experiment of mixing modern medicine and Chinese traditional medicine, but this has also resulted in the decimation of their traditional medicine.

"In any case, China is not India’s role model in healthcare. We have a robust chain of hospitals and public health services. With 779 medical colleges and 136325 MBBS doctors per year, India has the largest number of medical colleges. In southern states, the doctor population ratio has plummeted to below 1:500. Apart from anything else, India is the frontier of medicine today. Infrastructure and expertise exist to undertake any medical intervention at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. Indian doctors are the backbone of medical services in several Western countries,” the IMA said.

It said that IMA fails to see any compelling reason or logic in the ill-advised Government move. “IMA firmly believes that this misadventure will set back health care by a century. There are reasons to believe that this would be catastrophic to Ayurveda as well. Having failed to convince the Government, IMA has no option but to take the people into confidence. IMA appeals to the nation to resist this indiscretion for the health of future generations,” it said.

IMA appeals to Ayurvedic physicians to defend their system. “IMA respects all systems of medicine for their historic legacy. Let it be the choice of the patient to choose the system,” the statement said.

It is worth mentioning that Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and AYUSH (Independent Charge), Prataprao Jadhav has recently announced that the Union government is planning to introduce a new integrated medical course combining MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) and BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER). He said that the course is currently at the conceptual stage, and efforts are underway to frame a new syllabus.