The IMA has called for withdrawal of all non-essential and non-COVID-19 services between 6 am and 6 pm on Friday across the country against the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) decision to allow Ayurvedic doctors to conduct certain surgical procedures after the completion of their 3-year PG course, said IMA office-bearers.

The IMA is the apex body of allopathy doctors in the country. "However, emergency services, including casualty, labour rooms, emergency surgeries, ICU and critical care service will continue.

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"Over 30,000 of our member-doctors from Gujarat, including 9,000 from Ahmedabad, have joined the protest today," said Dr Kamlesh Saini, secretary, IMA (Gujarat branch).

"We demand withdrawal of the CCIM Act notification and the NITI Aayog committee for integration (of all medicine systems).

"We urge the government to take into account the grievances of doctors against this mixopathy. The IMA will continue its agitation till our demands are met," said Dr Saini.

Mona Desai, a senior doctor from the city, said the government must not play with the health of people by allowing Ayurvedic doctors to do surgeries after a three-year course as principles of Ayurveda and modern medicines are different.

"The CCIM order says that post-graduate Ayurvedic students will be given some training about modern medicine during their 3-year course after which they can perform 58 different types of surgeries.

"Modern medicine doctors spend 8 to 10 years learning the same. So if that can be achieved in just three years, why are we spending so many years learning them?" asked Desai, immediate past president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association.

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