Puncturing' Medical System

The danger is real

- POOJA NAIR @ Kozhikode

ON a Tuesday morning in a rented home in Chattiparamba, Asma gave birth to her fifth child—a baby boy. Hours later, the 35-year-old mother was no more; no doctor, no nurse, no ambulance, not even a hospital bed to help revive her. She left behind a family and an unverified certificate in acupuncture, believed by many to be a license to deliver life. (Her husband Sirajuddin possesses the same certificate, sources said.) But for Asma, and many others, it has proved a certificate of risk—and death.

As cases of home births spike across Kerala—especially in Malappuram, which topped the state in 2023-24 with 250 reported home deliveries—experts are sounding the alarm over a troubling trend: The increasing use of short-term acupuncture training as justification for performing unsupervised births.

These so-called practitioners claim legitimacy through certificates obtained after completing three- or six-month courses in acupuncture—often from unrecognized institutions. But medical professionals and legal experts argue these credentials are neither recognized nor suitable for life-threatening medical scenarios like childbirth.