The Indian Naturopathy and Yoga Graduates Medical Association (INYGMA) has demanded urgent intervention of the government to ban illegal acupuncture courses and practice.
Citing an incident in which a woman and her unborn child died after being denied effective medical treatment, INYGMA president Dinesh Kartha said that the government and society should be on alert to prevent a repeat of the incident.
Illegal acupuncture centres and courses are mushrooming in the State. Most of the people running such clinics do not have valid educational qualifications.
“Only the BNYS (Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences) degree course, which is recognised by Centre, State government and Kerala Medical Council, is providing training in acupuncture. The BNYS is a five-and-half-year course for training naturopathy and yoga doctors,” said Dr. Kartha.
The State and Central governments have clarified at various stages that acupuncture is not an independent treatment and only the BNYS graduates can provide acupuncture treatment. There was a Madras High Court verdict in this regard, he added.
Acupuncture treatment by people who don’t have proper training will lead to serious health issues. INYGMA has demanded legal actions against those who are practicing acupuncture illegally.
