integrative approach

Need for treatment facilities with integrative approach: Naik Last Updated: Saturday, January 10, 2015 - 23:35 Zee News Kochi: Observing that standalone modern medicine may not be sufficient to cater to the demands of an ailing society, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shripad Naik Saturday stressed the need to create treatment facilities with "integrative approach". "In the emerging world of lifestyle-related disorders and chronic diseases, the standalone modern medicine may not be sufficient to cater to the demands of the ailing society. At such a crucial juncture, there is a need to create such treatment facilities with integrative approach where patients can choose their preferred system of medicine under one roof", he said. He was speaking at the inauguration of the Amrita Centre for Integrated Medicine and Research at nearby Edapally. "This approach will help promote referrals from one system to the other so as to achieve better understanding among medical fraternity," he said. The minster, who also holds the Independent charge of Ayush, said India was well-endowned with traditional systems of medicine mainly Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. "These scientific systems are based on strong fundamental principles having various discipline," he said. Stressing the need to generate scientific evidence for validation of these great sciences for their global acceptance, he said the Ministry of AYUSH has taken many initiatives to promote and propagate these systems. This is India's first centre for inter-disciplinary study of medicine to come up here under Amrita University. The Centre will have an integrated study, research and patient care in Allopathy, Ayurveda and Yoga under the university. "The purpose is to bring Ayurveda and Yoga into the mainstream healthcare in India," Dr Prem Nair, Medical Director of AIMS said. The centre will bring out replicable guidelines for introducing and practising integrated healthcare at various levels besides facilties for study and research, Dr Shanti Nair said. Central Council of Indian Medicines (CCIM) President, Dr Vanitha Muralikumar,said "we are still fighting for integrating Allopathy and Ayurvedic streams. It is a big fight." According to Vanitha Muralikumar,75 per cent of speciality postings are vacant in government sector as they do not want to go to rural areas. There are vacancies of about 16,000 doctors in rural areas. To tide over this situation, the CCIM decided to develop a bridge course of nine months in competence in modern medicine following the directions from Union Government. However, the Medical council of India (MCI) has sent a note stating it was a 'futile exercise', she said, adding, government was planning to train ayush doctors to be sent to rural areas, she said. The course was to be undertaken post MBBS and BAMS. Jaykumar, Secretary General, Vijnana Bharati, said there are only 281 Ayurvedic colleges in India, while Kerala has 163 engineering colleges. The entire North East and Jammu and Kashmir have only one Ayurvedic college each. PTI