A group of ayurvedic doctors in Gujarat has moved the high court seeking permission to prescribe allopathic medicines. Their argument: they studied allopathy as part of their formal training, and that should count for something.
The petition has been filed by the All-Gujarat Ayurved Medical Association, according to a media report. The association says both state and central authorities have denied this permission for years, despite the practitioners having covered allopathic medicine in their curriculum.
The Legal Basis
The association has anchored its case on a 2018 Supreme Court order. That order had protected practitioners trained in integrated systems of medicine — those who held recognised degrees and diplomas from institutions teaching both ayurvedic and allopathic components. Government authorities had initiated action against them. The Supreme Court stepped in, granted interim relief, and stayed coercive action against such practitioners.
What The Court Has Done So Far
Justice H M Prachchhak has admitted the petition. Notices have been sent to the state government, the Gujarat Board of Ayurved and Unani System of Medicine, Gujarat Ayurved University, and the National Commission of Indian System of Medicine. All parties have been directed to submit replies within a week.
The court, the report added, has also decided to hear this petition alongside an older case that has been pending for nearly two decades. That petition was filed in 2006 by the Association of Indian System of Medicines. It had challenged a state government circular barring anyone other than MBBS-qualified doctors from practising allopathy in Gujarat.
Following the admission of the new petition, the Gujarat Medical Council approached the court to oppose the plea. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing.
Also Read: SC Overrules Guj HC Order Treating Ayurveda Doctors On Par With Allopaths https://www.vibesofindia.com/sc-overrules-guj-hc-order-treating-ayurveda-doctors-on-par-with-allopaths/
