The Tamil Nadu government has removed Dr. A Rathinavel, the Dean of Madurai Medical College after first-year MBBS students in the college were seen to take the Sanskrit Charak Shapath oath instead of the Hippocratic oath on April 30. Dr. Rathinavel has been placed on a waiting list for further posting.
Conventionally, first-year students are expected to undertake Greek philosopher Hippocrates' oath in English, while receiving their medical coats as part of the induction ceremony.
Their recitation of the Charak Shapath, originally in Sanskrit, but written in the Roman script did not bode well with two state ministers, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PRT) and Commercial Taxes Minister P Moorthy who were a part of the dignitaries attending the event.
Reports also suggest that PTR expressed his displeasure by taking the mike. "I always thought that the doctors took a Hippocratic oath. In fact, I've been recommending politicians to take the same oath," he said.
Tamil Nadu is vocal about English and Tamil being the state languages and is often at loggerheads with the central ministers who have advocated for the usage of Hindi.
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Dean Of Madurai Medical College Removed
In a press note, the Tamil Nadu government said that the Hippocratic oath has been followed since time immemorial by all medical colleges. The note said that the replacement of the oath with the Hippocratic oath is condemnable which led to the removal of the dean and the intervention of the Minister of Medical and Public Welfare Ma Subramanian.
Dean Rathinavel told the Indian Express that he did not ask students to take the changed oath but that students themselves had taken the decision to take the Charak oath, and downloaded the oath from the website of the National Medical Commission.
The state health minister also directed the Director of Medical Education, Dr Narayana Babu, to conduct a departmental inquiry into the matter as rules were violated. The government further said it would advise heads of all state-run medical colleges to always follow the Hippocratic oath without fail.
Why Is The Use Of The Charak Shapath Controversial?
In February, the National Medical Commission, the medical body which replaced the former Medical Council of India, suggested that the Hippocratic Oath be replaced with the Charak Shapath in medical institutions. Charak Shapath, a part of Ayurveda's Charak Samhita is a guideline for medical students. In a subsequent document in March, the NMC explained the guidelines in the Shapath.
Some of the guidelines include, "During the period of study I shall live a disciplined life with my teachers and peers. My action shall be guarded, service oriented and free from indiscipline and envy. In my dealings I shall be patient, obedient, humble, constantly contemplative and calm. I shall aim my full efforts and ability towards the desired goal of my profession and as a Physician, I shall always use my knowledge for welfare of mankind."
However, several doctors opposed the replacement of the Hippocratic oath and some of the guidelines within the shappath. A group of doctors from Karnataka wrote a collective letter to the Chairman of the National Medical Commission Dr Suresh Chandra Sharma and the President of Undergraduate Medical Education Board, Dr Aruna V Vanikar asking for the original Charak Shapath to be put up on the site for comments on the Shapath and that the NMC reconsider its decision to change the oath.
The letter said that Charak Shapath has guidelines such as "growing of beard and hair", "praying for cows and Brahmins," "not treating those who are in opposition to the King or whom the physician or society may despise," and also "not giving any priority or any treatment at all to those who are gravely ill."
"While the ancient Hippocratic oath makes a physician duty bound to his patients, without considering political positions or gender, it restrains from performing abortions. The modern oaths, belonging to the present, with tremendous advances in modern sciences and establishment of liberal democratic social structures, make it very clear that every human shall be treated equally and the physicians must be committed to treat fellow humans to the best of their abilities under any circumstances," the letter read.
As doctors continued to oppose the changing of oaths, five Lok Sabha members asked the government if they intended to replace the original oath that has been in use since the very beginning. In a written response, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Bharati Pawar stated that the NMC informed that there was no active proposal to replace the Hippocratic oath.
Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also told Parliament that the NMC's recommendation was voluntary and it did not expect every medical college to follow it.