The Kerala State Medical Council for Indian Systems of Medicine has served notice to a liver-specialist doctor, who has been accused of ‘discrediting’ Ayurveda and calling the traditional branch of medicine a ‘pseudo-science’.
A letter dated January 31 said that the council has referred the issue of punitive action against hepatologist Syriac AB Phillips at a private hospital in Kochi based on the orders of the ethics committee of the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council (TCMC). Union Ministry of AYUSH. The Council for Indian Systems of Medicine at TCMC is now seeking answers from Dr Phillips as decided by the Ethics Committee.
The sequence of events began in September last year when Sadath Dinkar, general secretary of the Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI), filed a complaint against Dr Phillips in the Prime Minister’s Office, alleging that he defamed Ayurveda as unscientific and hepatotoxic. Is. Through an interview conducted on ‘Lucy’ YouTube channel in June. The interview had gone viral with detailed explanations on how the use of certain herbs like Giloy (Chittamrithu) could be harmful to the liver.
The AMAI office-bearer had also alleged that Dr. Phillips had termed Good Manufacturing Practice-certified companies of Ayurvedic medicines as ‘quack’. The Union Ministry of AYUSH had later threatened defamation proceedings against him for ‘disregarding traditional medical practice’. The ministry suggested that the ‘outrageous and misleading clause’ be removed immediately from social media after informing the ministry, otherwise it would be ‘forced to initiate defamation proceedings against the violating doctor’.
Doctor’s response
The ministry referred the issue to the National Medical Commission, highlighting clauses 8.2 and 8.4 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, which deal with disciplinary and punitive actions. “NMC forwarded it to TCMC ethics committee. It is the Indian Council of Systems of Medicine at TCMC, not the Modern Medicine, that sent me this notice. This council has no authority or jurisdiction to do so,” Dr. Phillips told tthat hindu on Saturday.
He said that he would soon file a reply asking in what capacity the letter was sent to him. “He has not defined what professional misconduct I have committed. Under which section of the code of conduct it is mentioned that criticizing Ayurveda as a pseudoscience is a professional misconduct? He must first prove his allegation, Only then will I have to respond to his letter. Otherwise I am not obliged to respond,” Dr. Phillips said.