Ayurvedic Doctor Slams Police Raids on Wellness Spas as Threat to Legitimate Healthcare

A prominent Ayurvedic physician has spoken out strongly against recent police raids on wellness spas and massage therapy centres across Sri Lanka, warning that such operations risk undermining legitimate healthcare services and stigmatising a centuries-old healing tradition.

Physician Voices Alarm

Dr. Indrani Senaratne, a qualified Ayurvedic physician, has raised serious concerns about the manner in which law enforcement authorities have been conducting raids on spas and massage centres. She cautioned that the crackdowns, while possibly intended to target illicit activity, are casting a damaging shadow over professionally run establishments that provide genuine therapeutic care to patients.

Dr. Senaratne stressed that Ayurvedic massage and wellness therapy are recognised branches of traditional medicine with deep roots in Sri Lankan culture and heritage. She argued that lumping legitimate centres together with those operating unlawfully is both unjust and harmful to the broader healthcare sector.

Impact on the Wellness Industry

The raids have reportedly created anxiety among practitioners, staff, and business owners operating within the regulated wellness industry. Many fear that indiscriminate enforcement actions could deter patients from seeking traditional treatments and drive reputable professionals out of the sector.

• Qualified Ayurvedic practitioners risk being wrongly associated with illegal operations
• Patients seeking traditional therapeutic care may be discouraged from visiting certified centres
• The reputation of Sri Lanka's wellness tourism industry could face lasting damage

Call for a Balanced Approach

Dr. Senaratne has called on police and relevant authorities to adopt a more measured and targeted approach — one that distinguishes clearly between establishments engaged in criminal activity and those providing lawful, professionally delivered healthcare services.

Ayurvedic massage therapy is a legitimate and valued part of our medical tradition. Raids that fail to make this distinction are doing serious harm to honest practitioners and their patients.

She urged the government to work alongside medical and regulatory bodies to establish clearer guidelines that protect both the public and the integrity of the traditional medicine profession, ensuring that enforcement efforts do not inadvertently penalise those operating well within the bounds of the law.