The Suit-Boot AYUSH claims ‘Swadeshi’ – reason for its failure

Is the lack of science and the total neglect by most of those in AYUSH to develop the system has failed the relevance and merit of AYUSH or the rapid advancement of allopathic system of medicine that has made AYUSH look so silly and insignificant? If we favor the first reason then naturally one would ask how such system had existed several centuries ago. If we favor the advancement of science as a possible reason for the failure of AYUSH, then why such reclusive practices our country is still promoting and popularizing as a system of medicine.

If we analyze the ground reality, neither of the above are the strong reasons for the failure of AYUSH.

AYUSH lost its roots, niche, its tradition and parampara (heritage). In the name of promoting AYUSH, the proponents of AYUSH have adopted western styles and methods. Perhaps they would have thought, if AYUSH is packaged and presented in modern style it may look like the allopathic system, so it could become popular. The biggest mistake committed by us is the approach of westernized curriculum system.

To look the AYUSH curriculum and the degree similar to MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), several schools of Indian healing practices were rephrased as BSMS (Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery), BAMS, BUMS, BHMS etc.

Phonetically and in the abbreviation, we made sure that AYUSH degree looks like MBBS and produced AYUSH graduates as a doctor to diagnose and treat all diseases like MBBS doctors.

By naming an ant as the blue whale, the ant will never become a blue whale or can never exhibit the characteristics of a blue whale.

Such efforts and endeavours would look more like ‘Narcissistic Personality Disorder’ that would result in nothing but selling fallacies, pomp, and falsehood. Perhaps, this approach would have naturally attracted several young minds to opt AYUSH graduation especially when their aspirations to join MBBS got failed.

Several interesting reflections can be traced from the article of Namayata Y Pathak entitle “Ayurveda education: A student’s perspective”, Int J Ayurveda Res, published in the year 2010.

When the young students began to study AYUSH after joining the course, most of them get disappointed after knowing the truth that nothing medical or scientific are there in the curriculum, stated Dr. Abdul Abbas, MD- Siddha. The process of converting the students not to question the ancient tradition, believe the faith-based system, trust God, and his gift, respect and value the ancient scholars of the system blindly etc. progressively takes its upper hand over the young minds and as a result, they become mere believers and proponents.

When the students are made to move well within such framework – ‘faith, tradition, God matrix’ naturally they become largely the product of the strong belief system of Siddha or Ayurveda than the student of any medical science filled with scientific queries and investigative ness.

The anger and frustrations revealed by many AYUSH graduates against the questions about the merit and science of AYUSH are nothing but the reflection of such truth.

Every country does make several mistakes and certainly correct such mistakes in the due course of time. So the question is not about the mistake. How open and willing we are in correcting the mistakes, i.e., promoting the paramedical practice- AYUSH as medical science.

The most painful fact is that many AYUSH graduates could neither fully come out of the deep programming that does not question, believes the system, has faith etc., and simultaneously could not fully agree to own school of thoughts and philosophy as well. Because the programming is so strong, bounded to the emotion and has smartly separated and denied the role of intelligence from it, most of them never tell the Government not to promote AYUSH as medical science but instead secretly engage in cross pathy (practicing allopathic drugs) and hype AYUSH products.

It is the desire of whatever my neighbor has; I also must have philosophy and policy only AYUSH seems to have adopted till date. As a result, they spent the whole of their efforts since 1970 for fighting and demanding everything whatever allopathic system of medicine has like CCIM, parallel to MCI, various specializations in the curriculum, similar to MBBS degree, BSMS (Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery)……..etc. They also obtained Government postings in primary health centers as a doctor (Assistant Medical officer), got research institutes parallel to AIMS, NIS etc.

Instead of developing an own system through its fundamental principles, the promoters of AYUSH was always focusing more on the comparison and placing several demands to the Government.

All those who graduated from several schools of AYUSH when came out, the reality of life is not welcoming them with its arms full of fruits and sweets.

The patients would get satisfied only when their problem is solved by the doctor. For solving the problem, the diagnostic procedure must be correct, reliable and scientific and the drugs must be effective. Unfortunately, everything in AYUSH is notional, imaginary and philosophical. The problem is not with the graduates but with the contents of the course that they have studied. The most unfortunate part is that without asking any question, verifying its merit, review its role and contributions, Government is blindly promoting and popularizing AYUSH as medical science and producing graduates from such system as a doctor.

How the system that was evolved during Bhakti era, linked with our faith, tradition, spiritual belief system and depends on the plants, animals, metals and minerals quite native to us can be westernized and or promoted in line with western garment and style.

When we promote AYUSH in western style, when AYUSH is packaged and presented in western medicine format like 5 ½ years degree BSMS, won’t the people also questions and compare the performance of AYUSH with the allopathic system?

When the promoters of AYUSH compare the own system with allopathic system and place several demands to the Government, how they could fail to recognize the truth that people also would one day compare AYUSH with allopathy and would demand similar performance from AYUSH?

Today the question of whether AYUSH is medical science, drug, diagnosis and cure based system or not is pure because we are promoting the paramedical AYUSH as a medical system.

It is like calling an ant, the blue whale. Naming an ant as blue whale is fine but can we tell the nation to accept the ant as a blue whale because it is named as a blue whale?

Promoting AYUSH as medical science amounts to the joke of science and sacrilege the humanity especially of those people who live under utter penury and educational backwardness.

We need simple rules and regulations for AYUSH more for quality compliance and not drug regulation or Drug act. Once AYUSH is re-positioned as paramedical practice, acceptance of AYUSH would grow several folds not only in India but also across different countries. All manufacturers of AYUSH products could easily export AYUSH products either as food supplements or as raw or semi-processed herbal material, health supplement, nutraceutical etc., with claims that are recorded in the ancient traditional system. No validation or testing is required because none of these products are drugs. Only quality standards are required.

Other countries also could easily import several AYUSH products as commodities, as importing drugs whether it is traditional or modern the rules are strict whereas, for commodities the rules are simple.

The need of the hour is not how to deal the ego or status of ‘doctor’, but how to get the best from AYUSH. The Ministry of AYUSH instead of embroiling in verbal diarrhea on the merit of AYUSH, must end cross pathy, make AYUSH swadeshi than allow it so ruin in videshi gown – suit and boot.

Promote AYUSH as paramedical practice. Let us not produce more doctors from AYUSH to prescribe nothing from the system and do cross pathy but let us have several healers from AYUSH.

Dr S Ranganathan