Demanding strong measures to end the increasing quackery in traditional treatments by indigenous healers all over the state, the Ayurveda Medical Practitioners Association in Kerala will soon meet the new health minister of the state and submit a memorandum in this regard.

“Illegal practices by unqualified persons are increasing and it is widespread now in the state. Lot of complications are emerging in their treatments in many places. This impacts on the veracity of the system and the Ayurveda fraternity has to shoulder them,” says Dr. Rejith Anand, general secretary of the Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI).

According to him, AMAI is mulling over lodging complaints with the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), Travancore-Cochin Medical Council (TCMC) and the Union Ayush ministry also.

In June 2014, following a complaint by AMAI, the Indian system of medicine (ISM) wing of the TCMC had formed a special crack team and conducted raids in Ayurveda hospitals and research centres in northern Kerala and cases were registered against eight unqualified persons. But TCMC has not continued the exercise and taking advantage of the situation the quacks have again started practicing.

In March 2011, AMAI had approached the High Court at Ernakulam under Article 226 of the Constitution of India requesting to quash the state government order issued on 21-2-2011 giving exemption to traditional healers of Malabar region from acquiring recognised qualification and registration with the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council. Later the Council had passed a resolution against the decision of the government. Followed by it, the high court had issued a verdict against unqualified persons practicing Ayurveda and Homoeopathy in the state.

Expressing hope that the new LDF government in Kerala will find solutions to the myriad burning issues in the ISM sector, Dr Anand said the Ayurveda practitioners would demand implementation of specialty treatments in all district and taluk hospitals. Currently, specialty treatments are available only in government Ayurveda medical colleges. No department of paediatrics, gynecology and mental health is functioning in any district hospital.