Mysuru, Kodagu counterparts to join stir in B’luru on Feb. 3

Mysore/Mysuru: As part of the nationwide relay hunger strike from today (Feb. 1) till Feb. 14, Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had opposed the Government’s move to allow Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgeries, will be staging a relay hunger strike from today.

Meanwhile, IMA Mysuru Branch President Dr. B.N. Anandaravi said that 30 doctors (IMA members) from Mysuru and Kodagu will be joining their counterparts in Bengaluru and will stage a relay hunger strike for 24 hours from Feb. 3 morning to Feb. 4 morning in front of IMA building at Chamarajapet in Bengaluru.

The IMA, which condemned the Centre’s decision to allow post-graduate Ayurveda doctors to formally practice general surgery, including ortho and dentistry, called it as the Central Government’s ‘retrograde step’ of mixing the systems (Mixopathy) and had raised serious objections to it as they believe that each and every variant of medicine is different and has its own identity and the amalgamation of various streams of medical science is a threat to human life and the healthcare system.

On Dec. 11, 2020, the IMA, in a protest against ‘Mixopathy,’ had withdrawn all non-essential and non-COVID services between 6 am and 6 pm. However, emergency services, including casualty, labour rooms and emergency surgeries functioned as they were exempted from the strike along with ICU and CCU.

IMA has been openly opposing such policy moves by the Centre, especially the plan to mix modern medicine with traditional systems of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).