The growing incidence of Dengue outbreak is getting reported from several parts of India. Although the disease is caused by a virus, the horizontal communication in the population is being aided by a mosquito. A well proven drug for Dengue is far from near although several treatment options are available. Like all viral infections in general, Dengue is also to some extent, a self-limiting infection. But what really worsen the disease is the delayed diagnosis and treatment experiment mostly by those who are legally prohibited to prescribe allopathic drugs but are entitled to have the tag called ‘doctor’.
Government must prevent AYUSH entering into treating infections and infectious diseases.
Everyone knows that AYUSH does not have any proven recipe for any of the microbial infections. In strict sense, none of the AYUSH recipe would ever qualify the definition of drug if we every employ the drug definition of allopathic drugs. Therefore cross pathy and medical adventurism by several so called institutionally qualified AYUSH viadya by trespassing into allopathic practice is quite obvious.
Although the vaidya may claim that they have also studied pharmacology, biochemistry, anatomy etc., but the inclusion of the above course contents in the curriculum were only to auger their knowledge to understand how their recipe would work and how they should use the modern science to understand the fundamental principle of AYUSH (Siddha and Ayurveda), Tridosha– vata, pita and kapha. But instead of understating and fostering the relevance and importance of AYUSH in our society, some AYUSH vaidyas, especially some Siddha viadyas in Tamil Nadu often go for allopathic practice.
Unfortunately the knowledge about the names of the allopathic drugs they often dig out from the advertisement manual like CIMS. More often such misadventure not only cause mischarge of medical ethics but also results in medication health fraud. In the name of lack of sufficient qualified doctors in rural areas, we should not allow cross pathy and quackery to establish its kingdom in rural areas where people are poor, uneducated and quite gullible.
AYUSH is indeed a wonderful healing service. Massage therapy, Yoga, Shirodhara are some of the paramedical therapies of AYUSH proven to have some benefit. Further AYUSH also offers plenty of recipes for healthy live, life filled with moral and spiritual values, various measures to be followed during different seasons, importance of right food and diet, exercise etc.
Our present day generation need AYUSH recipes and its paramedical therapy to remain healthy and happy. The holistic method of therapy of AYUSH, the vaidyas must promote and popularize instead of engaging in cross pathy and bring bad reputation to the system that thrived in our country for last several thousands of years.
Like Tuberculosis, all cases of infections and infectious diseases, the vaidya must be instructed to refer to the qualified doctor and only then we can make India healthy and can minimize disease burden. Through newly enacted clinical establishment bill, monitoring all those offenders is quite easy.
After several years of learning about Dengue epidemic and how disastrously we had managed the epidemic in the past, this year we must address the problem in the beginning itself by taking all appropriate measures. One of the important measures necessary to prevent miscarriage of medical ethics and medication health fraud is banning corss pathy by AYUSH vaidyas and the offenders must be punished severely.
When AYUSH obviously does not have proven therapy for infectious diseases, why should we let the AYUSH vaidyas to complicate the medical problem, both with wrong diagnosis and wrong treatment that is going to results in nothing but quackery.
In medicine it is often said that “prevention is better than cure”. So let us take all necessary preventive and precautionary measures such are curbing cross pathy by vaidyas to minimize the onslaught of Dengue virus.
The measures to bring down mosquito breeding taken by the government, creating awareness about the same etc., has really worked at the ground level. All such efforts may go waste if we do to keep watchful eye to prevent cross pathy by vaidyas.
Every system of healing practice has certain merits and demerits. AYUSH is a wonderful paramedical aid so if we let AYUSH to work as supporting system in offering paramedical benefits to the patients who is on treatment with allopathic medicine, certainly our patients would benefit.
Besides having nursing and other paramedical stall like physiotherapy, AYUSH vaidyas also can be accommodated by MBBS doctors to provide various paramedical services of AYUSH in the big hospitals. Such integration can be achieved only when the AYUSH system accepts the final truth that AYUSH can offer only paramedical benefit to the patients.
