Will you go to an Ayurveda surgeon?

Dr Amrut Salunkhe laughs when asked why when he cleared his Class XII exams in 197889 with an 88 per cent in physics chemistry and biology he chose Ayurvedic medicine and not the more popular modernallopathy practice Dr Salunkhe who is from Dhulia district of Maharashtra says it was a simple matter of seats being filled upThen I could study MBBS only in the Pune region and all the seats were taken So I took admission at a government college in Nagpur where they taught Ayurvedic medicine says the associate professor of ENT and Ophthalmic surgery shalakya tantra at Worlis MA Podar HospitalOver 600 doctors from all over India under the banner of Indian Medical Association IMA organised a mahapanchyat to protest against the National Medical Commission NMC Bill 2017 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on March 25 2018 in Delhi The NMC Bill seeks to allow practitioners of Ayurveda and other traditional medicine to practice modern medicine once they complete a shortterm bridge course among other wideranging institutional reforms PicGetty ImagesAt the time the original texts for Ayurveda studies were still in Sanskrit and so over the BAMS course he learnt Sanskrit After completing his BAMS he did a MD in Basic principles of Ayurveda and a second MD in Shalakya ie ENT and ophthalmolgy and later joined Worlis Podar hospital where he teaches students and also conducts ENT surgeries like septoplasty SMR tonsillectomy adenoidectomy and other minor surgical procedures such as cataract removal The hospital he says recently acquired an upgraded machine to conduct more advanced cataract operations But that had to cease operations due to COVID19In a year that has seen healthcare as the top conversation across the world comes another debate Should Ayurvedic surgeons be allowed to conduct surgeriesDr Sarika Varma Gurugram based ENT surgeon argues that if the government spent more on healthcare it would be able to set up a larger number of medical colleges and allow more doctors to join the system PicNishad AlamWhile the move has been long in the making on November 20 this year the Central government issued a notification authorising postgraduate practitioners in specified streams of Ayurveda to be trained to perform surgical procedures The gazette notification by the Central Council of Indian Medicine CCIM a statutory body under the AYUSH Ministry to regulate the Indian systems of medicine listed 39 general surgery procedures and around 19 procedures involving the eye ear nose and throat by amending the Indian Medicine Central Council Post Graduate Ayurveda Education Regulations 2016According to the notification the procedures listed include removal of metallic and nonmetallic foreign bodies from nonvital organs excision of simple cyst or benign tumours lipoma fibroma schwanomaetc of nonvital organs amputation of gangrene traumatic wound management foreign body removal from stomach squint surgery cataract surgery and functional endoscopic sinus surgery The move has drawn protest from the Indian Medical Association IMA many of whose doctors have struck work to protestDr Rajeshwar Reddy has been a PG guide for 20 years and has been a PhD guide for the last six years He says that he has trained more than 30 students and all are leading Ayurvedic surgeons their field PicAshish RajeEarlier this year Dr Sarika Varma a Gurugram based ENT surgeon who consults at various hospitals and runs the chain of allergy clinics called Allergy Doc started a petition on changeorg demanding that India spend 10 per cent of its GDP on healthcare India spends 16 per cent Compare that to the spend of UK which is 16 to 18 per cent India even spends lesser than Bangladesh and Sri Lanka which spend six per cent of their GDP on healthcare How are we to have a better healthcare system in India she asks To this she has added the request that Ayurvedic practitioners not be allowed to conduct surgeriesAyurveda doctors study ayurveda not modern medicine What kind of anesthesia or postoperative antibiotics do they plan to use This kind of unscientific mix of specialities will be dangerous for Indian people These surgeons will practice in rural India where there is no access to quality healthcare If a minister falls sick he or she goes to AIIMS Vedanta or MAX hospitals which have the most qualified doctors in the country who have studied modern medicine Have you seen a single minister heading to an Ayurvedic hospital Why then a different set of rules for the peopleThe problem argue both Dr Varma and Dr Avinash Bhondawe the president of the Maharashtra chapter of the IMA is that the last few years have exposed how India suffers from a lack of doctors Allowing Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgeries then is a quick way says Dr Varma to allow more surgeons into the healthcare system but at what costStressing that modern medicine has nothing against Ayurveda Dr Bhondawe argues that its the mixing of the different streams of medicine that isnt palatable The government of India in the last few years has been allowing different medicine paths to mix In Maharashtra now there is a sixmonth course available in which homeopathy doctors are taught pharmacology The problem comes he says in standardizing what is being taught An allopathy surgeon is taught anatomy physiology how organs work and how hormones react to different medication Who will teach Ayurvedic surgeons about this On the other hand the dilution of Ayurvedic studies he points out will affect the progress of Ayurveda research too Instead why doesnt the government invest in researching more on this ancient practice which has proven efficacy in its own speciality and find better solutions If the government does want a crossover of medicinal streams it should then Dr Bhondawe says set up a separate council that will teach students about traditional and modern medicine right from the start with a curriculum designed for it Let the degrees reflect that a particular surgeon has studied under Ayurveda or modern medicine so patients can choose their careDr K Rajeshwar Reddy professor of surgery at Podar hospital with a 30year career behind him says the problem is the lack of public awareness about surgeries being conducted by Ayurvedic hospitals He calls the government move a good decision saying it will perpetuate the cause of Ayurveda which without any push has not evolved in the last millenniaIf they conduct hernia or cataract operations or appendicitis how different is it from what a modern medicine surgeon will perform at any other hospitalTheres no difference really say both Dr Reddy and Dr Salunkhe The procedures and pre and postoperative care are the same and the same allopathic medicines will be provided An additional benefit of an Ayurvedic treatment is he says that the surgeon will prescribe a suitable diet to ensure that the patient does not have a recurrence of the disease In fact not just does modern medicine practice types of surgical procedures described in the Sushrut Samhita thousands of years ago but some of our proceduresmdashlike the medicated seton which is used to treat anorectal fistulasmdashare more popular than modern medicine therapieshe addsAn Ayurvedic ENT surgeon says Dr Reddy will study fourandahalf years in the BAMS course followed by a year in internship and three years of postgraduation in surgery before starting their practice Its a path similar to an allopathy students And the course Dr Salunkhe adds is not stagnant either having been updated twice in the last 10 years In fact says Dr Salunkhe many of their students are now working in areas like Jalgaon and other parts of Maharashtra where they conduct cataract surgeries under topical anaesthesiaIt is here feels a senior ENT specialist who didnt wish to be identified that allopathic practitioners differ from Ayurvedic practitioners Most allopathy surgeons will not go to rural areas where healthcare really needs a boost But Ayurvedic doctors dont have that problem As far as the quality of their surgery is concerned this doctor has witnessed their work over the past two decades at close hand and says that its at the same level as any other doctor in the city They are very well equipped to perform basic surgeries such as tonsillitis and cataracts And thats where the maximum number of surgeries lie Also when Ayurvedic doctors perform allopathic surgeries they usually call an allopath in the operating theatre to guide them especially in more higher grade of surgeriesBut will the quality thats available in Mumbai translate to the rest of India Dr Sheetal Sabherwal MD DGO and practising obstetrician gynaecologist and surgeon says It takes a lot of practice to develop skills as a surgeon In Mumbai a student at a government hospital will learn far more than the one at a private hospital because the patient load is in excess and so there are more chances to operate under seniors How many people go to an Ayurvedic hospital for a surgery Where and how will these students learn Also if a student does come for a job there are enough MBBS students one can choose from to trainCOVID19 says general surgeon Dr Ashwini Wagh has exposed the deficiencies in our healthcare system And the government is trying to cover this up by letting loose a whole lot of inadequately trained doctors into the stream But even if the Ayurvedic doctors do the bridge course as has been proposed how are they to prepare for what they are up against58No of surgical procedures in notification that Central Council of Indian Medicine has cleared16Portion of GDP India spends on healthcare compared to UKs 18 and Bangladeshs 6Keep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news