Ayurvedic doctors face axe if found guilty of complaints

Nadira Gunatilleke

COLOMBO: Ayurvedic doctors' registration will be cancelled or their service suspended if complaints against them are proved factual following an inquiry, Registrar, Ayurvedic Medical Council, Dr. Danister Perera said.

Addressing a press briefing at the Sri Lanka Press Institute, yesterday, the Registrar said steps have already been taken against registered Ayurvedic doctors involved in wrongful acts.

"The registration of two Ayurvedic doctors had been cancelled after one was convicted for conducting illegal abortions and another involved in the illegal drug business," he said.

The service (practise) of a few other Ayurvedic doctors too have been suspended. Suspensions could be for one or more years. The Ayurvedic Medical Council took action against them after inquires proved them guilty of the complaints, Dr. Perera said.

According to him all Ayurvedic doctors need to be registered with the Ayurvedic Medical Council to practise and charge a fee from patients. A person graduated from a State University or conventional doctors (Paramparika Vedamahaththayas) can get registered themselves and obtain a registered number after going through the Ayurvedic Medical Councils formal procedure.

"There are thousands of quack Ayurvedic doctors all over Sri Lanka mostly in urban areas who do not have any educational or professional qualifications. They advertise in all media freely and get illegal publicity to carry out their `businesses'.

Innocent people believe these advertisements and fall into trouble. But there are conventional Ayurvedic doctors (Paramparika Vedamahaththayas) in villages who treat people free of charge and heal them, he said.

There are a number of incidents reported from all over the country where patients have died after being treated by quack `Ayurvedic doctors'. A child with an eye cancer died after a quack Ayurvedic doctor treated the child.

But such incidents are never revealed or highlighted in the media, Dr. Perera added. He appealed to the public to check the validity of an Ayurvedic doctor whenever there is a suspicion by contacting 0112746754, the Investigation section of the Ayurvedic Medical Council.

He also requested the public to make a complaint to the Ayurvedic Medical Council through an affidavit if they have been wrongfully treated.

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Know any bogus Ayurvedic doctors? Contact Ayurvedic Medical Council Investigation Section on 0112746754