Hippocratic oath or Charak Shapath? Medics to discuss issue next week

Opinion on the proposal to replace the Hippocratic oath taken by National Medical Commission (NMC) with 'Charak Shapath' is divided. Doctors' body - Indian Medical Association (IMA) - has called a meeting next week to discuss the issue among the medical community.

"The issue has raised unnecessary controversy. We will be meeting next week to discuss the matter. I should not say much about it before we discuss the issue among us," said Sahajanand Prasad Singh, national president, IMA.

The National Medical Commission in their undergraduate board meeting earlier this week discussed a proposal to replace the Hippocratic oath taken by medical students with 'Charak Shapath.'


The medical body believes the Hippocratic oath should go away because "Charak belonged to our motherland". It proposed "oath taking to be conducted during white-coat ceremony in local languages/vernaculars."BN Gangadhar, president, NMC told ET he is not directly involved in it and may not be having authentic information.

"The oath should be culturally sensitive; the oath should take into consideration the nuances of modern medicine and it should be as simple as possible. And make sure that doctors really understand. What is at stake is professional standards, ethical standards and the concern for the common man," said SP Kalantri, director and professor of medicine at MGIMS. The move was welcomed by the National Medicos Organisation.

"The replacement of Hippocratic oath with Maharishi Charak Shapath by NMC. #ThankyouNMC for adopting NMO's vision," tweeted National Medicos Organisation.