India: Doctors protest in MP against `mixopathy'

Indian doctors protest

Indore, Dec 11 (PTI) Protesting against the Union government's decision to allow post-graduate practitioners of Ayurveda to be trained in surgical procedures, nearly 8,000 doctors, mostly from the private sector, struck work in Madhya Pradesh on Friday.

The protest did not have much impact on the functioning of big hospitals in the state.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had given a nation-wide call for protest against what it termed as "mixopathy".

"Nearly 8,000 doctors across the state went on a strike. Most of them are from the private sector," IMA state unit vice-president Sanjay Londhe said.

"We are not against Ayurveda, but giving permission to them to perform general surgeries would lead to wrong practices which will directly affect common patients," he said.

Dentists and junior doctors also supported the IMA call, but doctors providing emergency services did not take part in the strike in view of the coronavirus situation, he said.