Crosspathy by AYUSH Vaidyas – To Save or Survive?

Some institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas often use the ‘last resort logic’ i.e., ‘to save the life of patients under emergency, they use their right to prescribe allopathic drugs’.

We do not know the legal validity of such ‘right’. If we look at the situation more logically, it sounds bizarre as how AYUSH vaidyas can attend the patients under emergency? Even duly qualified MBBS doctors should not attend the patients under emergency. After giving first aid care, the patients must be immediately referred to a nearby center where emergency care is available.

When we pose this specific question to some AYUSH vaidyas who use the bizarre logic of ‘under emergency situation’ to establish their right and legitimacy to practice allopathic drugs or in other words do not have ‘real faith and pride’ in the own system, immediately dilutes the question to suit their convenience. According to some institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice, the term ‘emergency condition’ should not be taken in literal sense. It means, according to them, the emergency situation is nothing medical but is a buss word for them to practice allopathic drugs.

It means, not to save the patients, but for own survival only most AYUSH vaidyas engage in cross pathy. One may wonder how the curriculum under AYUSH has failed to help the survival of most AYUSH vaidyas worth to be called as medical science. How the products of such AYUSH can be treated, promoted and popularized as drugs and the graduates from such system as ‘medical practitioner’?

When the patients complained of acute headache or fever, the AYUSH vaidyas can conveniently define such cases as ‘medical emergency’ and can prescribe allopathic drugs. Further, the AYUSH vaidyas can also use the logic ‘to save the life of patients under emergency’ to defend cross pathy.

The question is why many AYUSH vaidyas in private practice show so much of desperateness for cross pathy? They have studied the graduation course in AYUSH for 5 ½ hrs and or more and why they do not show any pride in using AYUSH products. If AYUSH products do not have any curative effect and would risk the life of patients when prescribed, why don’t they appraise such truth to Government and CCIM?

We must define clearly the distinctions between ‘first aid care’ and ‘medical emergency’ to prevent misinterpretation and engage in cross pathy.

We should no let people gamble upon the term ‘medical emergency’ to engage in cross pathy. When we discussed the issue further, we learned from some AYUSH vaidyas that even removing pus from a pimple can be called as surgery and that is how they have earned the term ‘surgery’ to their degree.

The cardinal point we miss here is the plight of several patients in remote rural parts of India. Whose benefit some institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas use such convoluted logic? To save the patient or for own survival, cross pathy is happening?

Logically it cannot be for the benefit of patients. No one can take law into their hands even if they argue that they do so only to establish the rule of law. Then we must approve khap panchayat, Maoists fight, the mob and street justice etc.

India is looked upon by global countries as one of the emerging economic powers in the world. Can such country afford to legalize such bizarre argument and logic that under emergency, AYUSH vaidyas can prescribe allopathic drugs?

If AYUSH vaidyas can prescribe allopathic drugs means then why we need MBBS doctors? Let us recognize the true medical problems of people in those states in India that produce a large number of AYUSH vaidyas? Most of the institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in these states must have been engaged in cross pathy secretly and or openly. But still the health care delivery situation in these states is far below the standard. How should we interpret the above reality? Does this not clearly point towards the lack of competency, knowledge and inaccuracy of AYUSH vaidyas in private practice in practicing allopathic drugs?

The allopathic system has its strong foundation in science and evidence. On the contrary, AYUSH has its roots in faith in God, miracle & magic, spirituality, prayers, chanting mantra and use of toxic metals like mercury, lead, arsenic etc. Our country legally treats the graduates who have studied such subject as a doctor at par with MBBS doctors of scientifically proven allopathic science.

The ill effects of cross pathy are yet to be understood clearly.

We always underline self-medication, indiscriminate usage of antibiotics and easy availability of many prescription medicines from chemists shop as reasons for the alarming increase in antibiotic drug resistance in India. But we have not yet recognized and understood the unlawful practice of allopathic drugs by AYUSH vaidyas.

When our nation will wake up to the fact that AYUSH is not medical science and at best it may have some paramedical benefits.

As per law, none of the AYUSH products are classified as prescription drugs. None of the products of AYUSH will ever qualify to be called ‘drug’ as per scientific definition. However, some products may have small medicinal value. Interestingly most of the so-called AYUSH drugs are exported either as commodity or food supplements etc.

The Tridosha concept is not used because it has no scientific basis and has more mystery than science. Most of the diagnostic methods are skill based than scientific and hence are redundant these days. The big question is why we still promote and popularize AYUSH as medical science and continuously produce graduates from the system as a medical practitioner? Why not we promote AYUSH for paramedical benefits and create greater scope and opportunity for AYUSH vaidyas in private practice to offer the valuable benefits of AYUSH such as massage therapy, YOGA, thokkanam, verma etc., for maintaining the health of the healthy individuals and prevent the likelihood of several lifestyle disorders?

We need AYUSH, not in the present form, which even most of the AYUSH graduates in private practice do not find any use or value. It must be renamed as Indian Traditional Medicine and its products as Indian Traditional Medicinal Products. The graduates should be available to the society as Indian Traditional Medicine Practitioner. Once such reform is brought, AYUSH can easily regain its lost glory and so are its graduates.

Dr. S Ranganathan