Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
his video conference on March 28, said that the AYUSH sector has a long
tradition of keeping the nation in the pink of health and its importance has
increased manifold in the continual efforts to tackle COVID-19. The Government
has set up the Department of AYUSH – which stands for Ayurveda, Yoga &
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy – to utilize and promote these therapies
in the field of healthcare.
While Covid-19 looms large, it is
commonly seen that no allopathic doctor is supporting or acknowledging the
traditional treatments such as Homeopathy, Ayurvedic and so on. Last month, media
reported that Homeopathy treatment was given to 42 Corona-infected patients in
the Rajastan by physicians of the Homeopathy University of Jaipur, which
yielded positive results. There was also another news reported that thousands
of homeopaths in the public and private sector are outraged at the state
directive restricting them from practising their system of medicine.
Traditional medicine has some
features that the allopathic class does not have. Similarly, Allopathy also has
its own features that the traditional does not have. Medical Experts believe
that in the event of an outbreak of infectious or other serious diseases in the
country, all these therapies will work together to tackle the disease
effectively in prevention and treatment of cases. It is in this light that the
Prime Minister said that traditional therapies could suggest better ways to combat
the virus.
While modern medical field has
not yet succeeded in developing a timely and effective drug against the coronavirus,
there is a growing public demand to use non-allopathic therapies to treat the
patients who are found to be Covid-19 positive. In India many people take
traditional therapies such as homeopathy or Ayurvade for making themselves
immune and fight against the virus. Many
local communities are also taking interest in distributing homeopathic
medicines from the source to the public interest for the prevention of
disease. But the Allopathic community or modern science
never acknowledges or supports the quality of the drug.
In view of the huge increase in
the number of Covid patients in Kerala, the Government of Kerala has decided to
appoint non-Allopathic doctors and staff to run the first-aid centers. But no
further pursuance has been taken by the government. The reason is said to be
due to the opposition from the allopathic medicine sector. The Indian Medical
Association (IMA), an organization of allopathic doctors, is strongly opposed
to alternative therapies, especially homeopathy.
Immunity drugs in traditional
therapies are often demonstrated since they are scientifically based.
Government hospitals, medical study facilities and graduate colleges have been set
up in all these medical units. The government also pays their employees. Every day
thousands of patients approach such hospitals and achieve the results. Yet what
is the logic of saying that such treatments cannot be acknowledged even when
epidemics are rampant in the country? This discrimination must be ended. The government needs to settle the Cold War between the medical communities and
work towards a co-operative treatment plan on a war footing basis.
