Indian Systems of Medicine toothless to ensure quality of ayurveda clinics

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though illegal ayurvedic clinics and massage parlours get busted on and off for failing to secure registration from the local governing bodies, the Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM) formed exclusively to ensure the quality of ayurvedic treatment remains toothless.

The massage parlours, which are often accused of offering sexual services, offer unscientific treatment.

The ISM has medical officers who are ayurveda practitioners and has separate district medical officers who have no powers as the government has failed to enact an amended version of Kerala Ayurveda Health Centres (Licensing and Controlling) Act 2007.

The earlier Bill was quashed by the judiciary after the Ayurvedic Hospitals Association approached the Supreme Court against it.

The Bill, according to them, demanded high infrastructural and manpower resources from even small clinics which sought licence.

The court asked the state to redraft the Bill after taking their grievances into consideration. “In 2009, a joint committee, including health department, ISM officials and hospital association, chalked out an amendment Bill which was acceptable to all. It was sent to the government for implementation but it is not yet in force,” said ISM deputy director Krishna Kumar.

The local officials had clamped down on a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram as two newborn babies were admitted to ICU after they were given medicine from a local clinic. As per licensed ayurvedic masseuse Deepak, who provides treatment in Europe, touts are everywhere in the state.

“I am married to a Russian woman and my in-laws came to a Kochi-based 5-star hotel for ayurvedic massage. Not realising that I am a Malayali, they conspired in front of me how to fleece my in-laws by sending amateur bar tenders for ayurvedic massage. I am shocked at the lack of professionalism by such resorts which bring a bad name to ayurveda,” he said.