Tuesday, August 26, 2014

All streams under Ayush and rename it as Dept of Indian Traditional Medicines

'Govt should integrate all streams under Ayush and rename it as Dept of Indian Traditional Medicines'
Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
Tuesday, August 26, 2014, 08:00 Hrs [IST]  (PHAMABIZ.COM)


For the promotion and popularization of Indian traditional medicines worldwide, the Union government should take steps to integrate the Ayush streams and rename the department of Ayush as department of ‘Indian Traditional Medicines’ (ITM), Dr Arul Amuthan, an ethnopharmacologist from Manipal Medical College suggested to the Union health ministry.

Dr Arul Amuthan, observes that the Ayush degree holders (BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, BNYS and BHMS) are practicing various streams of traditional medicines irrespective of their qualifications. Therefore it is necessary to integrate all the streams (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and branded as one.

The department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H) was created in March,1995, but re-named it as department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush) in November, 2003 with a view to providing focused attention to development of education & research in these systems.

Dr Amuthan, who is supporting the research work in the Centre for Traditional Medicines & Research (CTMR) in Chennai, says that the current Indian healthcare scenario is moving towards the concept of an integrative medical management of diseases where the traditional remedial methods/drugs are combined with the modern systems. This will help the patients receive drugs or remedial measures from different systems of medicines for one disease. But, before initiating this integration of modern and traditional systems, the various traditional medical systems should be integrated first and made it as one system.

At present, the government provides healthcare by using western medical systems throughout India. Additionally it promotes the country’s own traditional healing methods which are not handled alike and are not balancing. For example, in north-eastern states, none of the Ayush systems is followed by the people there. Measures are needed to make all citizens in the country avail the benefit of all the systems.

His observation is that if a modern medical practitioner is intending to refer his patient to Ayush systems, he gets confused as to which system the patient should be guided. The department of Ayush should give a clear idea on this problem. Though there are many physicians available with BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, BNYS and BHMS, these degrees make huge confusion among allopathic practitioners, hence they reject the systems. This problem can be solved by integrating the Indian traditional medical systems.

“When we have a common degree and common practice of Indian traditional medicine, then it would be easy to popularize our heritage worldwide and easily to integrate it with modern (allopathy) system. Then Indian citizens will get equal opportunity to enjoy our ancient healthcare heritage, and all other medical systems will have equal chances to serve public”, said the lecturer.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Ayush under common Central regulatory authority

CCIM expert panel not in favour of bringing Ayush under common Central regulatory authority
Peethambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
Tuesday, August 05, 2014, 08:00 Hrs [IST]

The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)’s special expert committee meeting held in New Delhi last week to discuss the policies pertaining to healthcare plans proposed in the manifesto of the Bharatiya Janatha Party, has felt that the autonomy of the Ayush department should not be abolished and the system should not be brought under the overarching regulatory body for healthcare as envisaged in the manifesto.

The experts felt that if Ayush is brought under an umbrella organisation for regulation, it should lose its independent stance. The manifesto proposes setting up of a common central regulatory body to regulate healthcare, food and nutrition by bringing them altogether under one umbrella.

According to sources from CCIM, the central government has forwarded the healthcare proposals in the manifesto to the Ayush department for detailed discussion and review, for that the CCIM has called a special meeting of Ayush experts. The expert committee was attended by selected experts from Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani in addition to the executive committee members of the CCIM. But the special committee did not favour the idea of bringing Ayush system under an overarching body as the experts felt that once it was brought under a super controlling authority, it will lose its identity and impede its overall growth. Therefore, the special panel of experts suggested for several measures in place to strengthen the Ayush system by utilising modern technologies.

The experts who attended as special invitees in the meeting made suggestions for expanding Indian systems, especially Ayurveda and Siddha, to the north eastern parts of the country where awareness about these traditional medicines is poor among the common public and facilities for treatment are also nil. Members of the CCIM from north eastern states also wanted propagation of Ayurveda and Siddha in their states. The special committee at last decided to request the union government to initiate steps for establishing Ayurveda and Siddha hospitals in those states where they are not started so far.

The key points in the manifesto were to strengthen the healthcare system by making it not only affordable and available to all, but also effective. It also talked of modernising government hospitals in the country and upgrades their infrastructure and technologies. The agenda included proposal for reorganising ministry of health & family welfare (MoH&FW) in order to converge various departments dealing in healthcare, food and nutrition and pharmaceuticals for effective delivery of healthcare services.

The manifesto revealed the government’s commitment to increase public investment to promote yoga and Ayush systems. It said there are plans to start integrated courses for Indian systems of medicine (ISM) and modern science and ayurgenomics. Vigorous programmes will be launched to standardise and validate the ayurvedic medicines also.

Representing Siddha system, Dr T Thirunarayanan, secretary of Centre for Traditional Medicines and Research (CTMR), Chennai, Dr V Bhanumathi, Government Siddha Medical College, Chennai and Dr Arul Amuthan from Manipal College of Pharmacy attended the expert committee meeting.

Monday, August 4, 2014

AYUSH in AIIMS

Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy to be included in AIIMS system: Harsh Vardhan
Monday, 4 August 2014 - 1:13pm IST | Place: Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) | Agency: ANI Tweet

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said the NDA Government would work towards enhancing Ayurveda's global acceptance as evidence-based medicine.

Speaking to reporters after laying the foundation stone of a "Global Museum of Ayurveda and Herbal Medicine" at Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Yoga Pitha, Dr Harsh Vardhan said: "For the first time since 1947, the government's health policy is going to lay primary emphasis on the Ayurveda Siddhanta. This is in tune with the times as World Health Organisation (WHO) has given considerable importance to Ayurveda in its activities related to traditional medicine.

He further said: "WHO has contributed substantially towards the implementation of pharmaco-vigilance in Ayurveda and the publication of documents for rational use and initiatives to prepare consumer guidelines for appropriate use of Ayurvedic medicines." . "Now, every AIIMS centre will have an indigenous medicine department of which Ayurveda will be a major component. AIIMS Rishikesh will take the lead in this as steps are underway to have a 100-bed AYUSH Hospital and land for medicinal herb cultivation facility for standardised production of medicines," he added.

On AYUSH, Harsh Vardhan said the government has set up a "Committee of Directors" to recommend a blue print for the operationalisation of a yoga training and therapy centre at AIIMS Rishikesh. The committee will be headed by Dr Raj Kumar, Director, AIIMS- Rishikesh, and hold its first meeting on August 4, the Minister stated.

"The old, allopathy orientation of AIIMS is out of sync with the contemporary trend of integrating indigenous and western forms of cure. That is why I wish to give Yoga, along with Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy pride of place in the AIIMS system. All the six new AIIMS will be dynamic institutions of integrated medicine in the years to come," he said.

Baba Ram Dev told reporters that he appreciated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to represent evidence-based treatment in a positive light to the people.

The Minister and the Yoga Guru had a detailed discussion on research trends in modern science and clinical applications of Yoga and Ayurveda. Dr Harsh Vardhan remarked that he was pleased to hear of the guru's monumental work in developing a World Herbal Encyclopaedia.


Government's health policy will lay emphasis on Ayurveda: Vardhan
PTI | Aug 3, 2014, 08.04 PM IST

READ MORE World Health Organisation|Union Minister|Narendra Modi|herbal medicine|Baba Ramdev
Union minister for health & family welfare Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that the government would try enhancing Ayurveda's global acceptance as evidence-based medicine.

NEW DELHI: Union minister for health & family welfare Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that the government would try enhancing Ayurveda's global acceptance as evidence-based medicine.

Speaking to reporters at Haridwar after laying foundation stone of a Global Museum of Ayurveda and Herbal Medicine at yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Yoga Pitha, he said that the government's health policy is going to lay primary emphasis on the Ayurveda Siddhanta, for the first time since 1947.

"This is in tune with the times as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has given considerable importance to Ayurveda in its activities related to traditional medicine," he said.

Stating that the WHO has contributed substantially towards the implementation of pharmaco-vigilance in Ayurveda and the publication of documents for rational use, he stated that every AIIMS centre will have an indigenous medicine department of which Ayurveda will be a major component.

"AIIMS Rishikesh will take the lead in this as steps are underway to have a 100-bed AYUSH Hospital and land for medicinal herb cultivation facility for standardized production of medicines," he said.

On AYUSH, the Union minister said, the government has set up a Committee of Directors to recommend a blue print for the operationalization of a yoga training and therapy centre at AIIMS Rishikesh, according to a press release here.

The committee will be headed by Dr Raj Kumar, Director, AIIMS Rishikesh, and hold its first meeting on August 4, the minister stated.

Baba Ramdev said he appreciated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to represent evidence-based treatment in a positive light to the people.

The minister and the yoga guru had a detailed discussion on research trends in modern science and clinical applications of Yoga and Ayurveda, the release further said.