Sunday 16 June 2013

GOI- Improve the health care delivery system


We are enclosing Govt of India Circular for Comments

Dear Sir 

As you are aware, the Central Government has initiated a number of measures to improve the healthcare delivery system in the country. However, shortage of allopathic doctors for attachment at PHC and subcentres has been a hurdle in making the health care mechanism mire effective. One of the option that has been under the consideration of the Government to mitigate such shortage is the integration of ISM (Indian System of Medicine) qualified doctors in the mainstream and pool in 7 Lakh such doctors available in the country with allopathic doctors to enhance the availability of doctors and outreach of healthcare services. Infact many PHCs in remote areas are being already run by AYUSH doctors and the states have expressed their satisfaction about the services being provided by such doctors at PHCs and under various other National Health Programmes.

Department of AYUSH has taken an in principle approval from the Hon’ble HFM to empower ISM qualified doctors to practice modern system of medicine in a limited way and constituted a Committee to examine the issue. The Committee further appointed a Sub-committee to define the scope of the practice of modern medicine to be permitted to ISM practitioners. The Sub-committee has furnished its reports outlining a road map for empowering ISM Doctors to practice modern medicine. However Committee has desired that the same be examined by Department of Health &Family Welfare.

The issue has been examined by us in the light of the judgement given on 8/10/1998 by Hon’ble Supreme Court (Bench – Justice KT Thomas and Justice Syed Shah Mohammed Quadri) in the case of Dr Mukhityar Chand vs State of Punjab. In the said case the Apex court has held that practice of modern system of medicine by ISM qualified professionals is possible provided such professionals are enrolled in the State Medical Register for practitioners of modern medicine maintained by the State Medical Council. The Respective State Government can notify and give recognition to qualifications eligible for registration in the State Medical Register.

In view of the above it is requested that the law prevailing in your State relating to registration of practitioners of modern scientific medicine may be amended to provide an enabling provision to allow the enrollment of a ISM professionals in the State Medical Register for registration of the practitioners of modern medicine, as maintained by the respective State Medical Councils. Simultaneously we are also requesting Department of AYUSH to get a draft curriculum prepared which would provide competency to a ISM professionals to practice preventive, promotive curative and rehabilitative allopathic medicine in respect to the commonly encountered health and get it vetted by MCI.

Your’s sincerely
Dr Vishwas Mehta




Shri SCL Das
Principal Secretary (H&FW)
Department of Health & family Welfare
Govt. of NCT of Delhi
R.No. A907, A-Wing
9th Level Delhi Secretariat
IP Estate, New Delhi 110 002



6 comments:

  1. The enrollment should only be for limited purpose and period so as to enable them to provide services at PHC etc. The training and subsequent enrollment should not put them at par with qualified allopathic practitioners at any time.

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  2. A good initiative of government of India to main stream the AYUSH Medical Practioners. A separate register for Integrative Medical Graduates may be maintained at State and Central level. Now a days the Medical practices are mostly in developed and developing countries are becaming Integrative in nature, in view of this the Allopathic Medical Graduates may be oriented with AYUSH Health Care Systyme in particular Ayurveda.

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  3. ISM practioners are not qualified allopathic practioners(& vice versa)so it will not at all be justifiable to allow them to practice allopathic medicine.Only appropriately trained physcians be allowed to practice their respective streams of medicine.

    There are many issues responsible for skewed distribution of physicians in cities.Till govt. donot improve the basic problems the situation is unlikely to improve.

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  4. Views on pertinent issues, especially as important as the delivery of health care services to our people, are bound to differ in various quarters. The final decision may best be left to to high power committee comprising of members from both the medical streams involved, ie, from allopathy as well as ayurveda besides Government officials. In any case, there are scores of Graduates of Integrated Medicine (Ayurveda with Modern Medicine) [as per details available with the National Integrated Medical Association - NIMA] having qualified prior to the introduction of pure Ayurveda, who may well be immediately authorised to practice allopathy in addition to Ayurveda, to start with - Dr Narendra Kumar

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  5. It will prove a killer to their system(ISM). Also it will produce mongrels. Govt must avoid such step.
    Dr S S Vithal
    www.drvithal.com

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  6. I think, this will be a dangerous trend. As per Indian Public Health Standard guidelines, we need both Practitioners of Modern Medicine and Ayush. A guideline is required to indicate type of procedure completed by both. Ayush can very well work in the area of Primary Care up to a certain extent.
    We can't replace one with another.

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