Only qualified AYUSH doctors can prescribe add-on drugs: Court

The bench comprising of Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice M R Shah emphasised that qualified AYUSH doctors can prescribe government-approved tablets as immunity boosters but should not advertise it as a cure.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ruled today that only qualified AYUSH doctors and homoeopaths are allowed to prescribe government-approved tablets, mixtures as add-on drugs to conventional treatment for COVID-19 positive patients. The Court emphasised that it should not be advertised as a cure for COVID-19.

The bench comprising of Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice M R Shah have pronounced their verdict on the petition filed by Dr A K B Sadbhavna Mission School of Homeo Pharmacy which had challenged the Kerala High Court order directing AYUSH doctors to not prescribe any medicine as a cure.

The Kerala High Court had observed that as per Ayush Ministry's advisory, tablets are given free of cost to people as immunity boosters and COVID-19 shall not be diagnosed or treated by anybody other than the government or those authorised by the government.

In an earlier hearing in the SC, the Court had observed that everyone cannot be allowed to treat COVID-19 and Ayurveda, Homeopathy can only be advertised as immunity boosters and not as a cure.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre had clarified before the court about the government's stance on the usage of alternate medicines as boosters and had said that the Kerala High court was right in its order.

Today the court observed that AYUSH doctors have to follow directions as laid down by the AYUSH Ministry in the notification released on March 6, along with the guidelines issued for medical practitioners regarding COVID-19.