MEMORANDUM ON RE-DESIGNATION OF THERALPISTS AS MASSEUR

KERALA GOVERNMENT AYURVEDA GRADUATE

MEDICAL OFFICERS’ FEDERATION

( Reg No 242 GO(P)7/85 GAD,Dt03.02.1985,Thiruvananthapuram)

From

General Secretary, KGAGMOF

To

DIRECTOR OF ISM, AROGYA BHAVAN,

GOVT. OF KERALA

Madam,

Sub : Re-designation of Therapists as Masseur reg

                        This matter is intended to draw your immediate and urgent attention on a matter that has started affecting the normal functioning of the Government run Ayurveda hospitals under the Department of Indian systems of Medicine, Government of Kerala.

           The recent media coverage on the Ayurveda therapist issue has got different connotations. Unfortunately, the pubic somehow got the feeling that all the panchakarma related procedures done in the Govt.Ayurveda Hospitals are not done by trained ayurveda therapists, but by some unqualified personnel drawn from the sanitation worker/cook category who have no knowledge of human anatomy and physiology.

           Even from the initial days of this Department to about 5years ago, the present ‘Ayurveda Therapists’ were still ‘Masseurs’. Any Department function will definitely improve with more qualified personnel. But, here, the case is slightly different. All this ‘Qualification issue’ came when the ’Masseur’ course was re-designated as ‘Ayurveda therapist’, by the  former Director of Ayurveda Medical Education. He had done this with good faith to improve the overseas job opportunity of the Masseurs.

         The educational qualification, skill, knowledge required to become a Masseur is significantly low when compared to a Nurse or Pharmacist.

This new designation instilled a sense of identity crisis for the Masseurs who now came to be known as Therapists. The main duty of the masseurs was to do different type of massages (Including various kizhis) under the direct supervision of the nurses as directed by the medical officer.

          With this new designation, they are feeling  that they are equal or better competent than nurses and have started behaving like that. The masseurs enjoyed the same status as that of Nursing assistants and Pharmacy attenders. Anybody with elementary school if given specialized on the job training for six months can very effectively do the job of a masseur, and this system is still in vogue.

         But to get selected either for a Pharmacist course or a Nursing course, minimum pass in the High School/Secondary school with a very high class or Distinction is the minimum criteria. The selected candidates then have to undergo a very rigorous training for one year, and then should qualify the exam conducted by the Director of Ayurveda Medical Education.

             We are of the opinion that the present problem can be solved to a great degree by re-designating the post of ‘Ayurveda Therapist’ to that of ‘Masseur’.

              We humbly request you good self to kindly look into this and do the needful at the earliest.

                                                                                       Yours faithfully,

 

Thiruvananthapuram,                                           Dr K V Baiju

02/04/2013