In response to the nationwide protests against the introduction of “mixopathy” called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), its members in Tamil Nadu boycotted non-essential services such as outpatient departments and elective surgeries on Friday while government doctors wore black badges to work.
IMA Tamil Nadu State Branch president C.N. Raja said the call for withdrawal of non-essential services from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in private hospitals, nursing homes and clinics received an overwhelming response across the State.
“We stayed away from outpatient departments and elective surgeries, and attended only emergency and COVID-19 services in continuation of our protest held on December 8 against mixopathy and notification of the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM),” he said.
IMA has been demanding withdrawal of the CCIM notification that would allow Ayurveda doctors to perform certain surgeries and also demanded dissolution of NITI Aayog committees for integration of the systems of medicine in medical education, practice, public health and administration.
With out-patient services affected in private hospitals, he said many patients flocked to government hospitals, resulting in extra work for government doctors.
He said the central council meeting of IMA would be held in Chennai on December 28 when further course of action would be discussed.
“We are looking at legal modalities to object this move,” he said.
The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA), which supported the IMA’s protest, asked its members to stay away from private practice. “Government doctors wore black badges to work. Mixopathy will be disastrous for indigenous medicine. If the Centre is interested in developing the Indian system of medicine, it should promote and fund research. If there is no purity of the system, it will be disastrous for all,” said K. Senthil, president of TNGDA.
