New Delhi: Many doctors at several hospitals in the national capital, including AIIMS, sported black ribbons Friday. The doctors were supporting the protest call of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against the Centre. Recently the Centre has allowed post graduate practitioners of Ayurveda to be trained in performing surgical procedures. However, the IMA is against this decision.
The IMA had given the nation-wide call December 1 for the protest. It has demanded withdrawal of the notification.
Doctors at AIIMS, and various Delhi government-run facilities, including LNJP Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, DDU Hospital, GTB Hospital, BSA Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, and civic-run Hindu Rao Hospital performed duties while wearing black armbands and ribbons.
The Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS-Delhi, in a statement said, “This step will not only encourage already rampant quackery, but also undermine the safety of public. We request the government of India to retract this notification immediately. We stand with our medical fraternity in this regard and support the strike called by Indian Medical Association,” it said.
Shivaji Deb Barman, president of FORDA, an apex body of various RDAs in Delhi, said doctors in Delhi will observe black ribbon protest, but ‘will not withdraw any services’.
The IMA has given a call for withdrawal of non-essential and non-COVID services between 6.00am and 6.00pm Friday to protest against the notification.
The notification by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) to allow legal practice of surgeries by Ayurveda practitioners and the formation of four committees by NITI Aayog for integration of all systems of medicine will only lead to ‘mixopathy’, the IMA has said.
