On 23rd December 2025, the Andhra Pradesh Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Department issued an order permitting qualified Ayurvedic doctors with postgraduate surgical training to perform a defined set of 58 surgical procedures independently. This decision was made in accordance with the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Amendment Regulations, 2020 and National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine (NCISM) guidelines that outline surgical training for Ayurveda specialties such as Shalya Tantra (general surgery) and Shalakya Tantra (ENT and ophthalmology).
Under the policy, postgraduate practitioners trained in Shalya Tantra and Shalakya Tantra are authorised to perform 39 general surgical procedures and 19 procedures involving diseases of the eye, ear, nose, throat or head, which include interventions such as wound management, suturing, excision of cysts and tumours, cataract-related procedures, nasal surgeries, and musculoskeletal surgeries.
The health department framed this decision within a broader effort to integrate traditional Indian medical systems with modern healthcare practices and to expand the scope of Ayurvedic postgraduate education and practice.
The decision has prompted official responses from medical bodies, notably the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has opposed the move on the grounds of patient safety and clinical training standards.
In a statement following the policy announcement, Dr. Dilip P. Bhanushali, President of the IMA, stated on 25th December, that while the association respects the Ayurveda and Homoeopathy systems as distinct sciences, it opposes mixing these with modern surgical practice. He emphasised that comprehensive surgical training in modern medicine, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, anaesthesia, emergency management and post-operative care, is taught over many years of structured medical education and cannot be equated with surgical exposure in postgraduate Ayurveda programmes.
Dr. Bhanushali reiterated that the IMA intended to submit a memorandum and raise objections through formal channels, and highlighted concerns that allowing surgery by practitioners without equivalent training could pose risks to patients and public health.
The IMA’s position reflects ongoing debates within India around “mixopathy”, the integration of modern medical procedures with traditional systems and debates about whether such integration should extend to surgical authority.
Critics have raised several points regarding the decision:
Training and Clinical Exposure: Modern surgical education for allopathic doctors involves extensive hands-on surgical training integrated with anaesthesia, emergency response and post-operative care over many years. Opponents argue that postgraduate Ayurvedic coursework may not provide equivalent exposure to surgical complexities and contingencies.
Patient Safety Concerns: Medical associations maintain that surgical procedures require comprehensive understanding of human anatomy, surgical techniques, anaesthetic management and critical care, which are core components of allopathic medical training and ongoing surgical practice.
Advocates of the policy argue that allowing trained Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgeries can expand access to surgical care, particularly in rural or underserved areas, and recognise the surgical competencies obtained through postgraduate training in Shalya and Shalakya disciplines. The government has also taken steps to strengthen postgraduate education infrastructure for these disciplines, including upgrades to facilities and surgical theatres at Ayurveda institutions.
(Rh/TL)