Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Mains level: Challenges in the health sector;
Why in the News?
Recently, Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration has allowed homeopathic doctors, who completed a course in modern medicine to prescribe allopathic medicines.
What is the difference between Homeopathy and Allopathy?
What is crosspathy?
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Why did the Maharashtra FDA issue a directive allowing homoeopathic practitioners to prescribe allopathic medicines?
- Addressing Doctor Shortage: The directive aimed to tackle the severe shortage of doctors, particularly in rural areas, where there is a lack of healthcare professionals, especially specialists.
- Expanding Healthcare Access: By allowing certified homoeopathic practitioners to prescribe allopathic medicines, the Maharashtra FDA sought to expand healthcare services and make treatment more accessible to patients in underserved regions.
- Promoting Integrative Medicine: The directive is part of a broader initiative to promote integrative or integrated medicine, where different medical systems, such as homoeopathy and allopathy, are used to complement each other in patient care.
What is the Supreme Court’s stance on ‘crosspathy’?
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What are the challenges faced by govt?
- Doctor Shortage: India faces a significant shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas, where the Health Dynamics of India 2022-23 report highlights an 80% deficit of specialists in community health centres. As of June 2022, there were 13.08 lakh allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH practitioners, indicating an insufficient number of qualified professionals to meet healthcare demands.
- Integration of AYUSH Practitioners: While AYUSH practitioners could potentially fill healthcare gaps, there is no systematic approach to integrating them effectively, which could lead to poor outcomes.
- Risk to Patients: Allowing unqualified practitioners to prescribe allopathic medicines could result in medical errors and negligence, raising concerns about patient safety.
- Opposition from Professional Bodies: Organizations like the Indian Medical Association (IMA) strongly oppose crosspathy, questioning its legality and the risks posed to patients.
- Regulatory Uncertainty: Lack of clarity on who has the authority to issue such directives and manage cross-system practice leads to legal and administrative challenges.
Way forward:
- Clear Regulatory Framework: Establish clear guidelines and regulations for integrating different medical systems to ensure patient safety and effective healthcare delivery, with proper qualifications for practitioners.
- Address Doctor Shortage Strategically: Focus on training and deploying more allopathic doctors, especially in rural areas, while ensuring AYUSH practitioners are properly integrated into the healthcare system through structured programs.
Mains PYQ:
Q Public health system has limitation in providing universal health coverage. Do you think that private sector can help in bridging the gap? What other viable alternatives do you suggest? (UPSC IAS/2015)
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