The Supreme Court on Tuesday clarified that homoeopaths could prescribe government-approved add-ons and mixtures to supplement conventional treatment for COVID-19, but could not advertise any cures to the virus.
A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan, in a judgment, in fact, endorsed a March 6 advisory of the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) that homoeopaths could not prescribe medicines for COVID-19 treatment but could provide prophylactic interventions for improving the immunity of the patients.
The Supreme Court had said it would clear the air on the role of homoeopathy in the fight against the pandemic. The verdict came on a plea challenging the Kerala High Court order of August 21, which had said that AYUSH medical practitioners could prescribe government-approved mixtures and tablets only as immunity booster.
The Centre had told the top court that medicines which were permitted to be prescribed by the Ministry of AYUSH to COVID-19 patients as an add-on treatment was allowed.
The government affidavit in court had said “the prescription of the medication prescribed by the Ministry of AYUSH to COVID-19 positive patients as an add-on treatment is permitted, and therefore, any contention to the contrary stating that homoeopathic medical practitioner cannot prescribe any treatment to COVID-19 positive patients, even as an add-on to conventional treatment is liable to be rejected”.
The Ministry said in its affidavit that, “It is stated that the only embargo is that the said medicines should not be administered or advertised as a cure but should be administered as preventive measure/immunity booster or as an add-on to the conventional treatment”.
