More doctors, more drugs, the real ailment of India

Our country is seriously debating upon how to meet the acute shortage of MBBS doctors’ vis-à-vis the large population that spreads across India? We are also toying with the idea of promoting the concept of barefoot doctor of ancient china or legalize quackery and cross pathy by AYUSH vaidyas as a solution to the problem. We have great expertise in complicating our problem through solution than leaving the problem unattended.

In true sense, most of us appeared to have missed the cardinal message of our honorable Prime Minister such as Swachh Bharat, ensuring potable water facility to every village and creating safe sanitation measures (toilets) etc., as an essential prerequisite for good health. More than the disease burden, the conduciveness for any disease to become epidemic and pandemic in no time is a major worry that plagues our nation today.

The intent of the present Government in promoting AYUSH deserve appreciation but unfortunately the intent appears to lack science, clarity, understanding, and focus. As a result, from cradle to grave, we appear to ensure the ubiquitous role of AYUSH either ignorantly or intentionally. This approach and effort raise doubts & questions over the science and merit of AYUSH.

With more doctors or with a sufficient number of doctors, can we solve our health problems?

It is not just lack of doctors that ails our health care system but many products that are said to have born out of faith system are competing in the market as proven and scientific drugs causing medication health fraud. The role of these so-called ‘drugs’ and those who are allowed to prescribe these products as drugs causing medication health fraud and what extent it affects the health problems adversely, we are yet to realize. We yet realize because we do not want to realize it, maybe because it does not affect the creamy layer in the society.

If we truly and sincerely imbibe the essence and values of AYUSH, we can easily address our health challenge. According to AYUSH, all human problems are classified as three types viz.,
1. Physical
2. Mental
3. Spiritual

The number of people crowding in various worship places and behind God men reveals the absolute truth that our country suffers the worst from spiritual health problems than physical health problems. It means India has plenty of solution already available for spiritual problems. Thanks to our ever-increasing spiritual masters, every growing holy business and ever expanding spiritual bazaar. Some proportion of the mental problems does overlap with spiritual health problems as well.

We need MBBS doctors predominantly for curative treatments.

Other than vaccination program, regular and continuous effort on promotive and preventive health care, we are not doing enough.

For preventing many diseases and to promote health, the following initiatives are important which are well stated in AYUSH such as

1. Nutrition
2. Drinking water supply
3. Sanitation, and
4. Environment

Wonderful expertise and experience of a large number of AYUSH vaidyas in our country must be tapped for achieving preventive and promotive health care goals of our nation. This paramedical care is extremely important to make any country health.

But in the name of patriotism, tradition, and religion, we have converted the paramedical AYUSH as a medical system, drug, diagnosis and cure based science.

Undernutrition itself, a lot of health tips and tit bits are there in AYUSH. Further the home health management (home remedies) falls under the above category. AYUSH can effectively contribute to preventive and promotive health care needs of our country.

Instead, we are on a marathon run to meet the number of qualified doctors somehow and are attempting to legalize cross pathy and quackery by institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas. Such an adventure would only endanger our health care system and will not improve it any further.

Our effort to promote AYUSH as drug, diagnosis, and cure based medical science and producing AYUSH vaidys as a doctor is ill-advised and will do no good to our country. If AYUSH is re-promoted as paramedical practice for wellness and good health, our important goal of achieving preventive and promotive health care needs become easy.

The diet and food form an important role in our health care system. That is why Siddha system considers ‘food as medicine’. AYUSH vaidyas have excellent wisdom about what food should be consumed by people during different seasons, time when to suffer from various health problems etc. The service of a large number of AYUSH vaidyas, our Government must ensure the above important health benefits.

Similarly, every disorder and discomfort need not be seen as early signs of any major disease. Such small problems can be easily managed with some AYUSH home remedies. We need to use the expertise of AYUSH vaidyas in this regard.

We should create easy and hassle free ecosystem for everyone to produce and market AYUSH products to develop the system. We do not need drug regulation for AYUSH instead, quality norms alone is required for AYUSH products because they are paramedical substances. We have to move away from metal-based AYUSH products and must be free from the obscurant notion that the metal-based AYUSH products are safe because they are processed uniquely. AYUSH and AYUSH products must be removed from D&C Act so that exporting such products and achieving global popularity for AYUSH become easy. ASU industries can have the freedom to export such products either as paramedical substances, food supplements, medicinal products etc.

Since AYUSH is wellness based paramedical practice, Government must exploit the exclusive knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence of AYUSH for various health awareness campaign, clean India mission and spreading such essence starting from school level onwards. AYUSH experts can be employed for achieving such mission.

With plenty of health force in India, why we still complain about the shortage of MBBS doctors and why we engage in a dangerous experiment of legalizing cross pathy and quackery?

We have created a mindset that only with more doctors we can treat our multitude of health problems. But have we really understood our real problem? We need stronger and aggressive push for preventive and promotive health care approach. As long as we promote AYUSH as medical science and AYUSH graduates as a doctor, they would only compete with allopathy to prove who is great and who is big.

Since independence till date, AYUSH experts were engaged only getting everything at par with the allopathic system but have they developed the system like allopathic science, this question would bury our head in shame and disgrace.

AYUSH is paramedical practice and not medical science. Therefore to achieve the benefit of AYUSH and to end the confusion of whether AYUSH or allopathy is great, AYUSH must be declared as ‘paramedical wealth our country’, essential for humanity.

Perhaps, our beloved Modiji would have conceived only such an idea while creating a ministry for AYUSH!

Our urgent need is preventive and promotive health care. Considering the larger interest of our nation and to make the role of AYUSH significant and meaningful, we must promote AYUSH as paramedical practice and not as medical science. None of the AYUSH products will ever qualify the true definition of drug. However, many of them may have some small health and medicinal benefit. It is like even water has medicinal benefit for renal calculi but water cannot be drug to treat renal calculi.

Let us play with our strength and not grieve or complain or worry about our limitations. We may stand far behind in meeting the MBBS doctor versus patient ratio but we have plenty of AYUSH vaidyas to provide a wide spectrum of paramedical service for preventive and promotive health care needs. Let us focus on solving our problems and not on ego game of AYUSH is better or allopathy.

The allopathic system is scientific and AYUSH is faith based. AYUSH cannot substitute allopathy and vice versa. AYUSH is paramedical and allopathy is strictly medical. Let us accept this truth and promote AYUSH for paramedical benefits. Cross pathy and quackery once ended, we have already solved 50% of our health problems.

Dr. S Ranganathan