Madras HC allows Unani and Ayurveda docs to conduct surgery

In a path breaking decision coming from the Madras High Court, the registered practitioners in siddha, Ayurveda, homeopathy and unani will now be eligible for practising surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesiology, ENT, ophthalmology, etc. the court has also instructed legal action against any such practitioners to be “dropped forthwith”.

Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla passed the orders in response to a contempt of court petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Siddha Medical Graduates Association.

However, the decision of the HC this time is contradictory to a recent one passed by Justice K K Sasidharan, on a similar petition filed by two unani practitioners seeking relief on a similar case of dabbling in allopathy.

Justice Sasidharan had held that no practitioners of Indian system of medicines should practise allopathy. He also justified legal action against them by the police;  as they were practicing allopathy without valid qualification.

Justice Kalifulla on the other hand took note of a June 29 government circular, citing section 17(3)B of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act (IMCCA) 1970. The IMCCA says institutionally qualified practitioners of siddha, Ayurveda, unani and homeopathy are eligible to practise the respective system with modern scientific medicine "including surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesiology, ENT, etc. based on the training and teaching."

Alternative systems of medicine in the country have been marred with this ambiguity over a long period now. This decision helps to resolve the issue for once. It will also come as relief to many alternative medicine practitioners who had been booked recently for practicing allopathy along with their respective speciality.