Varieties of Medical Profession

When your aunt in Kalyan has joint pain, she does not just ask 'which doctor?'. She asks 'which kind of doctor?'. One neighbour swears by an Ayurvedic vaidya, another by a homoeopath, another by a yoga and nature-cure centre, and her own son says she should see an orthopaedic surgeon. All of them are lawful, and all of them are called medical professionals, but they are not all the same in law. What are the varieties of the medical profession in India, and does the law treat them equally?

In two minutes

Indian law recognises several systems of medicine, modern medicine (allopathy), Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, homoeopathy, and yoga and naturopathy, together with allied professions such as dentistry and nursing, each with its own training, register and regulator.

The rest of this chapter

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