UNABLE TO meet its expenditure, the Bharatiya Chikitsa Parishad (BCP) has demanded amendment in the Chikitsa Parishad Act to generate revenue.
The Parishad has recommended to the State government to amend the Chikitsa Parishad Adhiniyam-39. The change would provide for five yearly ‘renewal fee’ to be deposited by those doctors who seek registration with the BCP. This would be apart from the life membership fee that they pay.
As per the current provisions, the BCP which is the licensing authority for Ayurveda and Unani practitioners, takes only life membership fee from those who pass out from colleges. The doctors may practice as long as they wish but they are not required to pay any fee again.
Under the new provision which the BCP wants to be implemented, five-yearly renewal fee would be introduced for those registered with the BCP.
At present the BCP has 47,000 Ayurveda and 12,000 Unani practitioners registered in its records and every year approximately 700 pass-outs from the entire State increase this number.
“The lifetime fee is Rs 2,250 which brings the annual income of the BCP to just over Rs 15 lakh while we require at least Rs 15 lakh annually only to pay off the staff’s salary,” said BCP registrar Dr RK Singh.
He said the annual income was just sufficient to pay off salaries and some other very essential expenses like office stationery while the department had the responsibility to maintain communication with each and every college in the State that fell under its jurisdiction.
{{/usCountry}}He said the annual income was just sufficient to pay off salaries and some other very essential expenses like office stationery while the department had the responsibility to maintain communication with each and every college in the State that fell under its jurisdiction.
{{/usCountry}}“We are now under tremendous pressure to increase our earnings to meet the expenses for expansion as the government has not been giving us much,” Dr Singh said.
Unable to find a way, the BCP has now asked the government to amend the Act. The BCP is governed with the rules from the Central Council of Indian Medicine and hence any change in the Act can be made by the State government only.
“The renewal fee may be kept Rs 100 or even as low as Rs 50 but this would certainly bring us something which is better than having nothing,” Dr Singh said.