AYURVEDIC, UNANI & HOMEOPATHIC DOCTORS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE
The Times of India
Feb 20, 2014, 02.03 AM IST

Lucknow, UP: 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 license to practice. 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.