The recent proposal by the central government to train AYUSH(Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) doctors to perform surgeries with the goal of increasing qualified health personnel is basically wrong and unprincipled.
There are over 700,000 Ayush doctors in India of which more than half are practitioners of Ayurveda, over a third practice homeopathy, 6% practice Unani and the rest practice other systems. Most Ayush doctors primarily practice in urban areas and some have even been accused of using antibiotics and steroids irrationally to treat a range of ailments without the necessary allopathic training.
The current proposal to equip Ayush doctors with techniques in allopathic medicine is a death knell for these indigenous medical systems. By forcing Ayush doctors to practice alongside allopathic doctors, Ayush doctors may end up being scapegoats if things go wrong. Moreover the Ayurvedic and Homeopathic system do not follow the clinical trial to prove the efficacy if the drugs. As the drugs must explain pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics if them with side effects.
