The Hindu Business Line : `Integrate medical systems for better healthcare'

INDIA should integrate traditional systems of medicine with prevailing healthcare practices for a cost-effective healthcare system. The insurance sector, too, must recognise traditional systems such as ayurveda and siddha, according to Dr Ramkumar, Managing Director, Punarnava Ayurveda Pvt Ltd.

Traditional medicine is effective in preventing illnesses; modern medicine is good at diagnosis and surgery. Ideally, according to Dr Ramkumar, the two systems should be brought together at the primary health care level for cost-effective healthcare delivery. But the traditional and modern have to be brought together in a systematic way by experts, he said.

The WHO has recognised the value of traditional medicinal systems across the world as a cost effective route to preventive healthcare. China, Korea and Vietnam have integrated their traditional systems with the modern system; Nigeria and Mali have included a few practices in modern systems; and the developed countries such as the US are tolerant — they are yet to accord legal recognition but accept a few traditional health care practices.

But India, with its rich resource of traditional medicinal systems, is yet to move towards adopting such practices, he said.

Ayurveda meet: Dr Ramkumar was addressing a press conference here today to brief reporters on the International Ayurveda Conference to be held between January 18 and 22, at Mahabalipuram about 50 km from here on the East Coast Road.

Punarnava, a Coimbatore-based company in Ayurveda, is organising the conference along with Ayurvedic Medical Association of India, All India Ayurveda Congress and Indeco Leisure Hotels, part of the Sterling Resorts and Holiday Time Shares Group.

Over 600 delegates have registered for the conference in which experts from India and abroad are participating. Daily yoga sessions, demonstrations of Ayurvedic treatment procedures will also form a part of the event.

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