THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO INTEGRATE THE INDIAN SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE AND HOMOEOPATHY WITH MAINSTREAM HEALTHCARE IN THE COUNTRY

Homeopathy India

[While Pharma boys like Ben Goldacre & Edzard Ernst attack Homeopathy in the controlled media, the Indian Government are using it more and more.]

6 Nov 2007
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=32445

THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO INTEGRATE THE INDIAN SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE AND HOMOEOPATHY WITH MAINSTREAM HEALTHCARE IN THE COUNTRY: DR. RAMADOSS
2007	18:21 IST

Speaking at the Valedictory Session of the National Campaign on Homoeopathy – Workshop for Healthy Mother and Happy Child, the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss said today, that these national campaigns being launched by the Department of AYUSH will be serving a very useful purpose of focusing attention on the urgent need to integrate the Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy with mainstream health care in the country. The integration of AYUSH services with mainstream health care has long been the stated policy of the Government, but practical integration has not really taken place in most parts of the country. By focusing on specific AYUSH interventions for common health and disease conditions, these national campaigns will, I hope, generate more enthusiasm among health administrators for integrating Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy with mainstream health care in the country.

The two-day Workshop was organized by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), Department of AYUSH as a part of the National Campaign on Homoeopathy for Mother and Child Care. Besides Dr. V.K. Gupta (former Principal, Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Delhi), the function was also attended by Smt. Anita Das, Secretary (AYUSH), Dr. N.K. Ganguly, DG, ICMR, Shri Verghese Samuel, Joint Secretary (AYUSH), Dr. S.P. Singh, Adviser, (Homoeo), (AYUSH), Prof. C. Nayak, Director, CCRH and other senior officials from the Ministry.

The following is the text of the Health Minister's speech:

"At the outset, I would like to appreciate the new initiative taken by the Department of AYUSH for organizing national campaigns on specific interventions in all the Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy. It was always well known that the Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy had very good treatment effect for certain diseases and conditions which were not amenable to treatment by conventional medicine. However, this is the first time that the Government of India have taken the initiative to launch national campaign to raise awareness and popularize such interventions. Apart from this National Campaign on Homoeopathy for Healthy Mother and Happy Child, a National Campaign on Kshar Sutra has already begun and campaign on Unani for Skin Diseases, Ayurveda for Geriatric Care and Yoga for Mental Health are going to be launched during the course of the next four months. I wish the Department of AYUSH all success in this very challenging new initiative it has taken up.

Homoeopathy has a very definite role to play in the health care delivery system in the country because it is effective, safe and affordable and the treatments are also simple to administer. The fact that Homoeopathic treatment is cost effective is another plus point. The ever-increasing cost of conventional health care has had the unfortunate effect of reducing the ability of the poor to access quality health care. This is where Homoeopathy treatment has an advantage.

The focus on mother and childcare in the Homeopathy campaign is both relevant and laudable. Even though there has been tremendous improvement in the health indices relating to women and children after independence, a great deal remains to be done if we are to achieve the levels already attained in the developed countries. Mother and child health is also a focus area in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The task of improving the health status of women and children is so enormous that it will take the combined effort of Central and State Governments, NGOs and all sections of civil society to bring about a significant improvement in the situation. As with many other issues relating to health, the problem of less satisfactory mother and child care in the country cannot be considered to be a purely a medical issue since a large number of non-medical issues impinge on it directly or indirectly. In particular, issues relating to the health of women have to be looked at from a sociological point of view for a proper understanding of the problem and for the working out of solutions.

I would also like to emphasize that the integration of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy with mainstream health care at PHC, CHC and district level hospitals will enable the general public to obtain a wider range of treatment in different systems under one roof and this would definitely lead to better health care delivery. To begin with, this kind of integration can be done by the State Governments by availing grants from the Department of AYUSH under the Hospitals and Dispensaries Centrally Sponsored Scheme which has now also been subsumed under the NRHM. Quite apart from enabling the general public to obtain additional health care services, the availability of AYUSH services and facilities in PHCs, CHCs and district level hospitals would also have the effect of increasing the demand for AYUSH medicines, which in turn would generate greater production in the AYUSH drug-manufacturing units. I would, therefore, request all the State Governments to prepare plans for the systematic introduction of AYUSH facilities in PHCs and CHCs and district level hospitals using funds available with the Department of AYUSH.

I am happy to note that Homoeopathy has now ventured successfully into the area of community health care. The Dr.M.L Dhawale Trust has created a unique community oriented health care delivery system using Homoeopathy which has been implemented in rural and remote parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The National Campaign on Homoeopathy for Healthy Mother and Happy Child should be propagated using such institutions and models. The State Governments may study the Dr. M.L Dhawale Trust model and replicate it with such modification as may be required to suit their local conditions.

There is considerable infrastructure in Homoeopathy in the country. There are 185 Homoeopathic colleges in the country of which 33 offer Post Graduate courses. There are also around 2.17 lakh registered Homoeopathic practitioners in the country. It is necessary that the practitioners in particular be brought into this national campaign so that the message that there are effective and affordable treatment in Homoeopathy for a number of conditions affecting mothers and young children can be effectively communicated.

In conclusion, I would like to again commend the Department of AYUSH for the new initiative in organising these National Campaigns and to wish the campaign on Homoeopathy for Healthy Mother and Happy Child all success".

KR/SK/Valedictory session - 159