Thursday, February 20, 2014

AYUSH ON HUNGER STRIKE

Ayurvedic, Unani, homoeopaths on hunger strike
TNN | Feb 20, 2014, 02.03AM IST

LUCKNOW: Scores of Ayurvedic, Unani and homeopathy doctors sat on a hunger strike here on Wednesday demanding permission to prescribe modern medicines in emergency cases.

The ministry of health and family welfare has already approved the amendment to promote alternative streams of medicines. The decision would benefit patients and over 1 lakh Ayush doctors in UP.

Ayush doctors are not entitled to prescribe medicines of other streams and violation of the rule is deemed malpractice and could mean losing their licence to practise. Under the aegis of national integrated medical association, the doctors have threatened to lodge a protest if their demand was not met. Giving more details, president of NIMA, Dr Moid Ahmed, said the Akhilesh-led Samajwadi Party government had promised to introduce an amendment in the UP Indian Medicine Act, 1939.

"The request for amendment is in the interest of patients. The state government representatives assured they had understood the seriousness of the matter and assured to introduce the needed amendment. Nothing has been done so far," said Ahmed. The association informed that other states have already introduced the amendment. Maharashtra is the most recent example, they said.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

AYUSH NRHM

More than 1,500 contract staff of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) launched an indefinite strike on Monday, demanding regularisation of services and increase in wages.
Consequently, the Department of Health and Family Welfare and Ayush Services issued oral instructions to head of Auxiliary Nursing Midwives and District Surgeons to ensure that services to patients are not effected and take up delivery cases on priority basis.
Speaking to Express, Dr Geetha Nyamagouder, director of the Health Department, said, “This is not a big issue as working arrangements have been made. The responsible staff in respective areas have been told to write an official letter in case of any issues faced by patients due to the strike.”
Health Minister U T Khader said the matter will be taken up with the Union government and an appeal has been made to the striking staff to withdraw the strike keeping public interest in mind.
Sources in the Health Department said the Centre may terminate the services of striking employees and recruit new staff.
“The State government cannot appoint people or increase pay as the appointments were made following a direction from the union government,” an official said. Meanwhile, the NRHM staff said they will continue their protest as no official met them.
However, sources said workers under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program are likely to withdraw their protest as officials met them.

AYUSH ALOPATHY

Nearly 40,000 Ayurveda, Yoga And Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha And Homoeopathy (AYUSH) doctors from across the State have decided to hold a protest on February 19 at Freedom Park against the government’s restriction on their use of allopathic treatments.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Ayush Federation of India (Karnataka) president Dr N A Magadum said the government’s rule was affecting AYUSH doctors who mostly serve in rural areas. “In cases of emergencies, we have to use allopathy. AYUSH doctors are trained with an integrated syllabus of ayurveda and allopathy and most of us have undergone six-month training in the use of allopathy,” Dr Magadum said.
In 1984, the State government amended rules barring AYUSH doctors from prescribing allopathic drugs. “But the same year, they introduced integrated syllabus for AYUSH,” he said.
“All it takes for the government is to amend rules under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, where there is provision to allow us to use allopathy. This has been done in 12 other States,” he said.
Federation secretary Dr Mahaveer Haveri said AYUSH doctors practising privately were subjected to harassment by officials of the Department of Health and Family Welfare. “It is a fact that there are 778 AYUSH doctors serving in PHCs, who must inevitably use allopathy as their posting is against vacant posts of MBBS doctors. Those practising privately are harassed for even administering injections,” he said.
Dr Magadum warned that the government will be responsible for any deprivation of health care to the general public during their strike on February 19.

Health ministry gets Rs.30,145 crore

Interim budget 2014: Health ministry gets Rs.30,145 crore

Last Updated: Monday, February 17, 2014, 23:35

Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Rs.30,145 crore was allocated to the health ministry in the interim budget for 2014-15 by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram .This move is being hailed as "positive" by the health sector.
To eradicate and fight the AIDS menace, Rs.1,785 crore has been allocated to department of AIDS control while department of health research has been allocated Rs.726 crore.

The department of ayurveda, homeopathy, yoga, naturopathy, unani and siddha has been given Rs.1,069 crore.
Flagship schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, aimed at strengthening the tertiary sector, has been given Rs.1,456 crore.
Sangita Reddy, executive director at the Apollo Hospitals said: "Overall, it is a positive interim budget. I welcome the finance minister's statement about treating universal health care as a national priority."
"The government has to now focus on creating an effective mechanism to fund healthcare costs of the masses," she added.
(With Agency inputs)

First Published: Monday, February 17, 2014, 22:44

Ayush Doctor