IMA opposes move to let nurses, ayurveda doctors perform MTP

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Thursday opposed the proposed amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act that allows ayurveda doctors, homeopaths and nurses to conduct the medical termination of pregnancy.

"This is apparently incorrectly based on an unscientific study done by Population Council in 2012 which showed that trained nurses and ayurved physicians provide medical abortion as safely as MBBS doctors," said the IMA in a statement.

In 2012, the MTP Act, 1971, was put in place. It does not allow anyone other than an MBBS doctor registered under the act to conduct and abortions. So, how could the ayurveda doctors and nurses carry out MTPs? This smells of malpractices in the medical field carried out by members of the above fields, the IMA said in a statement.

The association has also written to the prime minister and the health minister requesting them to withdraw this proposed bill immediately in the better interest of the health of the general public.

The IMA said the proposal to permit the non-MBBS doctors and paramedical staff to conduct MTPs is also against the provisions of the Clinical Establishments Act, which does not recognize even paramedical personnel trained by the doctors for conducting medical procedures.

MTP is a procedure meant to be conducted by an allopathic doctor only and cannot be conducted by the paramedical staff on their own as they are not at all well-equipped to handle critical medical conditions arising out of excessive bleeding in some cases, specially during incomplete abortions, the IMA said.

"If approved, this would endanger the lives of thousands of patients opting for MTP as the above medical and paramedical professionals will neither be qualified nor equipped to handle any medical emergency emerging out of excessive bleeding in some cases."

"Besides being against the provisions of the Clinical Establishments Act, this would also amount to quackery as the medical and paramedical professionals carrying out the MTPs using allopathy are not allowed to practice it," said the association in a statement.