‘Misleading and unscientific,’ says IMA in response to Minister’s nod for Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgeries

Key Highlights

• On December 23, 2025, the Minister gave his nod for Ayurverdic doctors, who completed PG courses in surgical studies, to perform select surgeries, and called this a step in the direction of integrating Indian traditional medicine with modern treatment methods.
• In a press note, the IMA opposed the move and said surgical procedures demand structured, supervised and extensive training that is exclusively imparted through the MBBS and MS(Master of Surgery)/MCh (Megister Chirurgiae) curricula governed by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
• It warned that any deviation from these standards places patient safety at serious risk.
• Surgery is not just a technical skill but a complex discipline requiring in-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology, perioperative critical care, anaesthesia, and complication management, all of which are part of a training that is standardised and validated only within modern medicine, the IMA explained.
• The members also cautioned that cross-practice without equivalent training and accreditation is neither evidence-based nor ethically justified.