MD Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay is a real-life example of a quack who has taken the general public of Nagaland, especially the sick, for a ride.
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A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, qualification or credentials they do not possess. MD Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay is a real-life example of a quack who has taken the general public of Nagaland, especially the sick, for a ride. He has not only taken advantage of the innocence and welcoming nature of the Nagas but also played with the health of many sick people.
From the very first instance, I had taken my stand on two things i.e. firstly, genuineness of the certificates presented/produced by MD Babul Ali and the legality of his Clinic/Centre- whether it was opened by following all codal formalities. When we look into this turmoil, a lot of questions remain unanswered; who really is responsible for this mess? Here is my observation on the matter:
Church: It is quite disheartening to see 31 churches that have given Certificate of Appreciation to Md Babul Ali for the services rendered. An ignorant person may see this certificate as a source of knowledge because for some person they may be mesmerised by seeing all those certificates of appreciation on the wall and it will be difficult for them to understand why it was presented. So, a request to all those 31 churches to withdraw the Certificate of Appreciation presented to MD Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay to avoid further confusion.
Civil Societies/ Organisation/ Association: According to the 2011 Census, there are 30,000 registered non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Nagaland, which would mean there is one NGO per every 66 persons in the state with a population of about 20 lakh. Civil society refers to the sphere of organised, non-governmental, and non-market-based activities where citizens voluntarily engage in collective action to pursue shared interests and address public issues. Is the health of Nagas so insignificant/worthless? Why are the civil societies/ organisation/ association keeping mum on these issues? Civil societies are pressure groups for general public and keeping reticent on these issues raises many eyebrows.
Government Departments: Government’s role in this case is the most important; as a vigilant citizen and an Ayurveda physician, I can raise questions or provide inputs but it’s the government who will give the final verdict. Providing a few inputs from my side as per rules and regulations is put forward:
As per The Gazette of India published on 28th December 2023 National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Ethics and Registration) Regulation 2023 Page No 43. CHAPTER – IV Standards of Professional Conduct, Etiquettes, and Code of Ethics Sl No 20. Standards of professional conduct Point No 7 states that:
“No person other than a practitioner having the qualification as recognized under Chapter VI of the Act is allowed to practice the Indian System of Medicine, that is, Ashtang Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa Rigpa.” Therapist Jay is clearly violating as he claims he is giving Ayurveda treatment.
Departments of AYUSH, government of Nagaland, appoints Medical Officers (Aurveda), Panchakarma Therapist based on the Recruitment Rules or Eligibility Criteria for the said post. Is the qualification of MD Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay in line with the laid down norms and job responsibilities.
Also, Indian Public Health Standards AYUSH Hospital 2024 Annexure-VIII Job responsibilities of Human Resources (Page No- 70) states that Panchkarma Technician/Therapist/Assistant:
· Provide Panchakarma therapy as per the prescription by creating appropriate and conducive ambience, and ensuring the availability of required materials, herbs and related formulations.
· These professionals provide support to individuals before, during and after therapy.
Panchakarma Attendants/attendant form other system of medicine:
· To support the Panchkarma therapist/Assistant Occasional lifting to fill water containers, cleaning of the patient’s room and bathroom, cleaning of the kitchen after food preparation, putting away laundry, and organizing inventory.
As per the job responsibilities, how can a person who has to provide panchakarma therapy a per prescription, run a clinic? He has to work under the instruction and provide panchakarma therapy as per prescription of a doctor/physician or a specialist.
To run a clinic, a person has to have trade license of the respective municipal- in this case it’s the Dimapur Municipal Corporation (DMC). Has DMC issued any Trade License to MD Babul Ali to run a Clinic/Centre and who is the doctor named in the license for running this centre as a clinic/centre has to run under a physician/doctor? Also, under Nagaland Health Care Establishment Schedule 1, all health care establishments have to register irrespective of system practice. Has MD Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay Clinic/Centre registered under this Act? If the answer is a No, it’s a big question as how could a centre/clinic run in the heart of Dimapur by violating all the government rules and regulations. Who is responsible for this turmoil?
Even in the video, which is widely circulating on social media, Md Babul Ali aka Therapist Jai has claimed that he teaches students and gives them certificates to open massage centres. My question is can a school dropout having 3 diplomas within the span of 3 months be eligible to teach and provide certificates? What is the authenticity of the certificates issued by him? Is his training centre registered? Will those certificate holders be provided jobs?
It may also be stated that Md Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay is giving various treatment, and in fact claimed that he can remove gall bladder stones and urinary stones by sharing videos of alleged success stories. He also claimed that he can cure all diseases except cancer and tumours, which is circulated in the form of videos and photos, a direct violation of [The Schedule [See Sections 3(D) and 14] under The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. It is degrading the name of Ayurveda and putting public health to risk.
Media: In the realm of modern democracies, the media plays a pivotal role as the “Fourth Pillar,” alongside the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches. But in the case of MD Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay, media has been turning a blind eye to the recent controversy as they have not properly verified the credential and advertised and propagated him on social media. Still, no media is covering this news. Is human life or health an unimportant issue in Nagaland?
Conclusion: The saying "to err is human" emphasises that making mistake is a natural part of being human. However, the phrase "to correct the mistake" is often added to highlight the importance of acknowledging and rectifying errors. This Article is not to point out mistakes of who is wrong but how corrective measures can be taken and exemplary decisions in the right direction is taken so that general public is benefitted. I would like to call out Concerned Authorities, Law enforcing agencies, media platforms, all likeminded people, organisation, association, health workers, ayush doctors, Ayurveda students who are studying, to come forward to fight for the right cause. Also, a big thanks and shout out to all those who have been working tireless behind the scene to expose this Quack MD Babul Ali aka Therapist Jay.
Dr. Imlikumba
B.A.M.S, MD (Panchkarma)
North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Folk Medicine Research
Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh
(An Autonomous Institute under Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India)
Disclaimer: The views presented here are the personal opinion of Dr. Imlikumba and does not reflect the views of his affiliating institute or the organisation he belongs to.