{"id":116613,"date":"2026-08-02T10:14:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T04:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=116613"},"modified":"2026-08-02T13:10:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T07:40:41","slug":"when-quack-is-wrongly-used","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/when-quack-is-wrongly-used\/","title":{"rendered":"When &#8220;Quack&#8221; Is Wrongly Used: NCISM Clarifies Legal Status of Traditional Medicine Practitioners"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>When &#8220;Quack&#8221; Is Wrongly Used Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) issued a circular clarifying that qualified, registered practitioners of India&#8217;s traditional medicine systems cannot legally be labelled &#8220;quacks&#8221; or &#8220;bogus doctors&#8221; merely for practising the Indian System of Medicine (ISM).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>About National Commission for Indian System of Medicine<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) is the statutory regulator established under the <\/span><b>National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It oversees medical education, professional standards, and registration of practitioners in India&#8217;s recognised traditional systems: Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Autonomous Boards under NCISM<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Ayurveda, under Board of Ayurveda and Unani, Siddha &amp; Sowarigpa under Board of Unaini, Siddha and Sowarigpa.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two common Boards namely:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Board of assessment and rating<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to assess and grant permission to educational institutions of Indian systems of Medicine and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Board of ethics and registration of practitioners<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Indian systems of medicine to maintain National Register and ethical issues relating to practice under the National Commission for Indian Medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What the Circular Says<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practitioners holding recognised qualifications \u2014 Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS), Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery (BSMS), or Bachelor of Sowa-Rigpa Medicine and Surgery \u2014 and registered under the NCISM Act are <\/span><b>legally recognised<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> medical practitioners.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such practitioners cannot be called &#8220;quacks&#8221; or &#8220;bogus doctors.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The circular distinguishes between qualified, registered ISM practitioners and unqualified individuals falsely claiming to practise medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why the Clarification Was Needed<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NCISM received reports of registered ISM practitioners being labelled &#8220;quacks&#8221; or &#8220;fake doctors,&#8221; targeted through public notices, criticised in media, and harassed in public forums.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The clarification aims to: affirm the legal status of registered practitioners, prevent misinformation, protect their professional standing, and ensure that action against genuinely fraudulent practice isn&#8217;t confused with lawful ISM practice.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Does This Make ISM Doctors Equivalent to MBBS Doctors?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not exactly. The circular:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognises ISM practitioners as legally valid within their own systems of medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does not erase distinctions between different systems of medical education.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does not automatically authorise ISM practitioners to practise modern (allopathic) medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether an ISM practitioner can prescribe allopathic medicines depends on State laws, statutory provisions, government notifications, and court rulings applicable in that jurisdiction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Relevant Supreme Court Rulings<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Poonam Verma v. Ashwin Patel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1996): A homeopathic doctor treating a patient with allopathic medicine was held guilty of negligence \u2014 practising in a system one isn&#8217;t qualified for amounts to acting without authority.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Dr. Mukhtiar Chand &amp; Others v. State of Punjab<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1998): Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani practitioners cannot practise allopathic medicine solely on the strength of their ISM qualifications. Cross-practice is permitted only where specifically authorised by law, including State government notifications under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Who is a &#8220;Quack&#8221;?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commonly refers to someone who falsely claims medical qualification or practises medicine without required qualifications\/legal registration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No official nationwide estimate exists of the number of quacks in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Health being a <\/span><b>State subject<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, identifying and acting against unqualified practitioners is the responsibility of State governments and State Medical Councils.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Significance of the Circular<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reaffirms statutory recognition of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa practitioners under the NCISM Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Draws a clear line between registered ISM practitioners and unqualified individuals falsely claiming to practise medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clarifies that legal recognition as an ISM practitioner does not automatically extend to practising modern medicine.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NCISM&#8217;s circular reaffirms the legal standing of registered Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa practitioners while preserving the boundary between traditional and modern medicine.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seeks to curb the misuse of the term &#8220;quack&#8221; against legitimate ISM practitioners without diluting regulatory safeguards against unqualified practice or unauthorised cross-system prescriptions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/commission-for-indian-medicine-says-registered-ayush-doctors-cannot-be-called-quacks\/article71285755.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/what-does-nscims-latest-order-say-about-ayush-doctors-explained\/article71289017.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When &#8220;Quack&#8221; Is Wrongly Used explains the NCISM circular, Supreme Court rulings, and the legal scope of ISM practitioners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":116652,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,22,59,9178],"class_list":["post-116613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","tag-when-quack-is-wrongly-used","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116613"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116653,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116613\/revisions\/116653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}