Prior to the election to the Central Council of Indian Medicine which is slated for the second week of June, faction feud is arising in the Kerala chapter of Ayurvedic Medical Association of India.
A group of registered medical practitioners who is objecting to the move of Dr V G Udayakumar, the general secretary of AMAI-Kerala, is spearheading the opposite group. According to them, the general secretary is acting against the declared policy of the organisation.
Dr V N Parameswaran Potty, the former principal of Ayurveda College at Thiruvananthapuram and a central committee member of the AMAI said the general secretary is supporting the political view of the ruling party in granting permission to the traditional healers of Malabar Area to practice Ayurveda. He added that Dr Udayakumar was making choices based on his own ideas and judgements and never accepted any advice from any member of the association.
While rejecting the allegations levelled against him, Dr Udayakumar said a group has emerged in the association following his decision to contest the CCIM election and they are making false propaganda against him.
According to Dr Parameswaran Potty, in the meeting of the expert committee appointed by government of Kerala, Dr Udayakumar has favoured the decision of the government raising section 17 (3) of Indian Medicine Central Council Act and argued that exemption can be given to the traditional healers of northern Kerala. Further to this, he put the suggestion that the committee should submit the criteria to the government to find out the deserving healers in the north zone. Dr Potty said this is a violation of the decision of the state organisation and alleged that Dr Udayakumar’s intention is to emerge as the most powerful leader by taking advantage of the situation, which is only for personal gains.
In a circular issued to all the members of the organisation, the popular ayurvedic doctor-cum-academician said because of the general secretary’s autocratic leadership, many popular leaders of AMAI become unpopular and they want to put an end to the dictatorship of the general secretary immediately. While speaking to Pharmabiz, Dr Parameswaran Potty said his present move is not for any personal gain for him like Dr Udayakumar, but for the welfare of the organisation. Doctors supporting the move of Dr Potty said after the formation of the next government, a separate meeting of those who want to stop the one-man rule policy of the general secretary will be held in Thiruvananthapuram or Thrissur.
When contacted Dr D Ramanathan, the secretary of the Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers’ Organisation of India, AMMOI , and a CCIM executive committee member said Dr Parameswaran Potty is a fighter against corruption and an active worker of the organisation. But he did not want to comment on the faction feud in medical officers association. To a query he said, the declared policy of his organisation and of AMAI is that no exemption can be given to the traditional healers under section 17 (3) of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act.
The government of Kerala issued an order on 21. 2.2011 exempting the traditional ayurvedic healers and self educated homoeopathic practitioners of north Kerala from acquiring recognized qualification and registration for practising Ayurveda and homoeopathic systems. Against this order, the associations of the doctors of the two systems approached the court and a final verdict is yet to come.
The registered ayurvedic physicians of the state can elect two members to the Central Council. The present representatives from Kerala are Dr D Ramanathan and Dr K Anil Kumar of Kerala Pharmacy, Aluva.