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Non-MBBS doctors to soon prescribe
allopathic drugs?
TNN Jul
14, 2012, 03.10AM IST
MUMBAI: The state
government on Friday said that ayurveda, homeopathy and unani practitioners would
soon be able to legally prescribe allopathic medicines in Maharashtra
provided they completed a one-year course in pharmacology.
Dr Vijay Kumar Gavit, minister for medical
education, told the assembly that the course material was ready and by August
the state would issue an ordinance for these doctors to do the course and
clear an exam. If they pass, they can prescribe allopathic medicines.
The minister said in a
written reply that the decision to introduce the one-year pharmacology course
was made on the advice of the attorney general, who suggested that it could
be done by amending the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961. But when
it was referred to the state law and judiciary department, it pointed out
that a mere amendment to the Act will be of no use as under the Indian Medical
Council Act, 1956, the assent of the Medical Council of India (MCI) is
mandatory.
But a senior official
told TOI that the government does not need an approval from the Medical
Council of India to start a "certificate course" as the state has
the requisite powers under the concurrent list. "Only a degree or a
diploma course needs a mandatory approval from theMCI,"
the official said.
The matter came up
before the House during a calling attention motion on police harassment faced
by doctors who provide alternative treatment, particularly in rural
Maharashtra. It was raised by Vijay Wadettiwar, who said that in the absence
of allopathic doctors, people had to go to doctors from other streams but they
were not allowed to prescribe allopathic medicines. "When the state has
the power to allow these doctors to prescribe allopathic medicines, why does
it hesitate to do so?"
Gavit said it was true
that there was a paucity of allopathic doctors in rural areas and the
association of homeopathy doctors had requested that homeopaths should be
allowed to prescribe allopathy medicines.
"The government
has set up a committee to consider this issue and is awaiting the
report," he said, adding that an earlier committee had recommended that
if the government were to include pharmacology as a subject for the doctors
from other streams, then they could prescribe allopathic medicines.
Source:-Click Here
Maharashtra govt's plan to allow Ayush
doctors to practise allopathy may be challenged
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
Tuesday, July 17,
2012, 08:00 Hrs [IST]
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The Maharashtra Government’s soon
to be promulgated ordinance to allow Ayush doctors to practise allopathy on
completion of a full year study course on pharmacology, will be challenged in
the court by the Indian Medical Association, said Dr C Srinivasa Raju,
chairman, IMA IT Committee and secretary, Hospital Board of India, AP branch.
Last week the state medical
education minister Vijay Kumar Gavit told the Legislative Assembly that
doctors wanting to practice allopathy should study pharmacology and an
ordinance to this effect would be promulgated next month.
According to the minister the
decision in this regard was taken on account of the crisis created by the
shortage of allopathic doctors in rural areas in Maharashtra.
“There is a shortage of allopathic
doctors in rural areas and it is not possible legally to allow medicos to
practice a system which they have not studied. So the doctors practising
Unani, Homoeopathy and Ayurveda who wish to practice allopathy should study
pharmacology. It will be a full time course of one year duration and the
doctors will be allowed to practise only after they clear the examination.
For this, the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961 will be amended,”
he told the assembly.
He said the Homoeopathy Council in
Delhi has been requested to include the subject of pharmacology in the
homoeopathy curriculum.
Commenting on the government’s
decision, the IMA leader, Dr Srinivasa Raju said, “This maverick step of the
government will encourage quackery in the state. IMA strongly opposes this
move. First, we will approach the government of Maharashtra requesting them
to withdraw from this decision. If there is no positive outcome in our
favour, we will approach the high court,” Dr Raju informed Pharmabiz.
According to him the doctors’
association is ready to fight against the decision of the government in the
assembly and in the judiciary until the sanctity of the modern system is
restored.
Dr M C Gupta, former Professor and
Dean, NIHFW, New Delhi and now a practicing advocate on legal issues in the
Supreme Court said the step taken by the Maharashtra Government would
definitely be a retrograde one. It will not only promote quackery as defined
by the Supreme Court in its various judgements, but will also ruin the
sanctity of the AYUSH systems which need to be researched and developed in a
scientific and serious manner. The present proposal, converting ‘vaidyas’,
‘hakims’ and homoeopaths into allopaths will mean a death knell for the
ancient systems.
“If that is the government’s
intention, the better way would be to convert the existing AYUSH colleges
into modern medical colleges. Thus the establishment cost of putting up new
medical colleges can be considerably reduced. It will even be desirable that
the MBBS students admitted to such colleges may be given education and
training in AYUSH systems for one semester in addition to the MBBS
curriculum,” Dr Gupta said.
While answering questions in the
assembly, the medical minister said in a written reply that the decision to
introduce the one-year pharmacology course was made on the advice of the
attorney general, who suggested that it could be done by amending the
Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961.
To this comment, Dr M C Gupta said
when it was referred to the state law and judiciary department, it pointed
out that a mere amendment to the Act would be of no use as under the Indian
Medical Council Act, 1956, the assent of the Medical Council of India (MCI)
is mandatory.
This indicates that the decision
of the government is unlikely to be implemented in the state.
Source:- Click Here
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