The move by the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) to replace the Hippocratic Oath during a white-collar event for medical graduates and Maharshi Charak Shapath has angered doctors in Kerala.
Classes for a new group of MBBS students are scheduled to begin on February 14. The NMC proposal was received minutes from a meeting of its undergraduate medical education board and representatives of medical colleges. Another suggestion is to have a mandatory 10-day Yoga session.
M. Muraleedharan, chairman of the public health awareness committee, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kerala chapter, told The Hindu that Charak Shapath was not suitable for modern medical ethics. Maharshi Charak is believed to have been one of the main sponsors of the Ayurveda branch of India’s medical systems. His book discusses the ancient practice of traditional medicine
“Her doctor’s instructions are also out of line with the world. The ‘shapath’ starts with the address “O dwija”, which means Brahmins, and “looking east where there is a holy fire” etc. There is a sense of class distinction and racism here, ”said Dr. Muraleedharan. It also says that a male doctor should treat only a woman in the presence of her husband or a close relative. He said such guidelines do not apply in the present.
Drs. Muraleedharan said the Hippocratic Oath, a code of conduct for postgraduate students, is popular all over the world. Although built hundreds of years ago, it has been revised several times, especially since the Geneva Declaration of 1948, to reflect the changing socio-economic conditions. The last update took place in 2017.
“We do not understand the need to change it with a small national vow,” he added.
The IMA Government Working Committee met on Sunday to discuss the matter.
At the time, K.V. Babu, a public health activist and co-founder of the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare, said the NMC has an official text on its website and the code of conduct for 2002, followed by Indian doctors. It is a gazelle and not the first Hippocratic oath. In a letter to the NMC chairman, Dr. Babu said if the commission wanted to change the proclamation, the framework should be made public, get people’s views, final draft, and gazette prepared. . Any attempt to violate the procedures will require legal action, he added.