Ayurveda News at the month- January 2008

[bhagya]

AYUSH geared well to encourage Ayurved and Siddha

In order to uplift Ayurveda and Siddha system of treatment the centre
has decided to take initiative to launch a campaign to aware people of
such age old modes of treatment especially for elderly people. The
campaign is aimed at generating awareness in public about the
importance of Ayurveda and Siddha.

For ch campaign national level workshop in Delhi from January 23,
likewise state and district level workshop have also been envisaged.

Anita Das Secretary Department AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy,
Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) said, “Considering the time-tested
efficacy of Ayurveda and Siddha systems in preventive and promotive
aspects of health care, it is desirable to disseminate the scientific
aspects and research findings of these systems for the benefit of the
public.”

She informed the reporters that about 600 delegates including the
experts from Allopathic, Ayurveda and Siddha, scientist and NGOs will
participate to give a major thrust to the policies to bring Ayurveda
and Siddha in the mainstream.

“The resolution and recommendations of the national workshop will hold
the key in designing the future course of action and implementable
strategy,” she added.

The Department of Ayush, has initiated new licensing norms to weed out
irrational patent and proprietary (P&P) medicines, which are innovated
products not mentioned in classical texts of the Indian System of
Medicine. But many experts believes that this will create confusion in
the market as there are thousands of P & P medicine are sold in the
market and also that this constitute up to 90% of ISM in the market.

The classical text-based drugs constitute only 10 per cent of the
Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani drug market.

Ranjit Puranic General Secretary of Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturers
Association (ADMA) said, “Ayurveda products are based on trials and
experience of the physicians practicing this system, which has a
history of many centuries. It is unfair to view our drugs with the
same yardsticks applied to chemical formulations, which have proven
side effects in many cases.”
Also Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry is giving it a thought
to cover ISM in health insurance. Thus according to Anita Das this
move will help elderly people who use ISM.