Nagaland doctors join nationwide 12-hour doctors strike

Kohima: The Nagaland Branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed all MBBS doctors in government service, as well as private practitioners of Nagaland to withdraw all non-essential non-COVID services from 6 am to 6 pm today.

The cause of this withdrawal is a mark of protest against the Government of India's decision to allow Ayurveda practitioners to perform various surgical procedures involving the eye, ear, nose, throat and dental procedures like extractions, fillings and root canal treatment.

On Wednesday, the IMA's Nagaland Chapter said in a press release, "This is the struggle against mixopathy and quackery entering into the modern medicine."

Meanwhile, the Office of the Indian Dental Association Nagaland State Branch (IDANSB) had also requested all the dental professionals (both in government service and private practitioners) to show solidarity and join the protest by withdrawing all non-essential non-COVID services.

The IDANSB said in a statement, "The protest is against the Government of India's decision to allow Ayurveda practitioners to perform various surgical procedures involving the eye, ear, nose, throat and dental procedures like extractions, fillings and root canal treatment."

It further added that the "Government must understand and consider the sensitivity of the modern medicine and dental profession and take appropriate steps. Integration of all systems of medicine will only lead to 'mixopathy', confusion and complications.

The Indian Dental Association plans to continue and intensify the agitation until the steps towards implementing the 'mixopathy' are abandoned.

On November 19, the government had notified a list of specific surgical procedures that a postgraduate medical student of Ayurveda must be 'practically trained to acquaint with, as well as to independently perform'.

This had raised sharp criticism from the Indian Medical Association, which had questioned the competence of Ayurveda practitioners to carry out these procedures, and called the notification an attempt at 'mixopathy'.

Also read: Attack on Ballot boxes in Gossaigaon, Assam as BTC polls end

Also watch: CEM Paban Manta files nomination for Tiwa Autonomous Council polls